Final Fantasy: the Summoner's Story
by Marth12
Summary: Young hero Vivel is chosen by Carbuncle to journey the world and free the 6 elemental avatars, and eventually take on a greater evil.
1. introduction

Final Fantasy- the Summoner's Story

introduction

"Darksteel ore! All right!" shouted Vivel. He pulled the large chunk from the mines and wobbled over to show Ignatious. Living in the Republic of Bastok, mining was a way of life for many, including Ignatious and his comrade Vivel. Bastok was home to the human and galkan race. The humans were moderately sized creatures who excelled in a great many of things, but most of all ambition. Ignatious was a hume, as was most of Bastok's population. The galkan were large, husky, strong-willed warriors who carried much anger and much compassion as well. Long ago, the galkan and humes were very hostile towards each other, but since have learned to co-exist peacefully.

"Congrats, old friend," Ignatious said when he saw the magnificent ore Vivel had found. "Here, let me get that" he said and took the darksteel from Vivel, carefully wrapping it and putting it in his pack. "I'll head to the Metalworks and sell our findings to the blacksmiths. Could you finish up and then meet me back home?" Vivel nodded and waved goodbye to his friend.

Working in the mines was very toilsome, especially for Vivel. This is because Vivel was neither a galka nor a hume. He was of the tarutaru, a race of timid and short yet extremely intelligent beings. Tarutaru were most well known for their ability to use magic with ease, a powerful force that could be used for destruction and liberation. Born in the Federation of Windurst amongst fellow tarutaru, Vivel journeyed to Bastok when he was younger than he could remember. His parents were investigating the quicksand caves in the notorious altepa desert searching for ancient artifacts. Vivel was left in the nearby Bastok with Ignatious, a close friend to his parents. Unfortunately, the caves were unstable and a large part collapsed, killing Vivel's mother and father. It was decided that Vivel would be raised by Ignatious, as the president saw a Bastokan tarutaru to be a great asset. Ignatious raised Vivel as a son, but also as a friend. And though Vivel was only fourteen years of age, he matured rapidly and now was a mining partner and best friend to Ignatious. Vivel was encouraged to work on honing his black magic skills, the ability to unleash deadly forces and elements. But ignatious also taught him the way of the samurai as he had trained his whole life.

Vivel scratched at his shaggy light blue hair as he gathered up his remaining pickaxes. Suddenly, something hit him from behind and he was knocked forward on to the hard ground. It was a blood sucking thread leech, and it had attached itself to his back! Vivel struggled to his feet and shook the leech off, and then turned to face it. It looked like a basketball, but distorted one at that. Vivel was frightened at this ambush, but knew he had to focus his magic to win. He closed his eyes and started casting a fire spell. The leech lunged at him and interrupted his casting, sending him on to the ground again. Vivel wobbled to his feet and quickly casted a bind spell on the leech. It worked, and the leech was frozen in place. He then frantically grabbed his great katana and held it in attack position. Being a tarutaru made it very hard to wield such a heavy blade, but Vivel was well trained enough to fight proficiently, or at least well enough to slay a leech. With a mighty strike, Vivel cut the leech clear in half, and collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion.

It was very rare to be attacked by anything in the Zeruhn mines, and leeches weren't known to be as big and bulgy as the one Vivel just encountered. He got to his feet and some something glimmering. Taking a closer look, there was a bright red ruby on the ground, glowing with radiant beauty. It must have been inside that leech, thought Vivel. He took a moment to clean it with a cloth, and looked in to it. He felt a large chill go throughout his body, a lingering tingle almost. Startled, Vivel dropped the ruby but then grabbed it back up and put it in his backpack. Surely this would be worth a lot, but Vivel wanted Ignatious's opinion first. He trudged out of the dark mines and began his daily walk home to the market's district.


	2. Preparations for Battle

Chapter 1 – Preparations for Battle

The galka waved to Vivel as he made his way out of the mines. Unlike most humes who treated him like an outcast, the galka generally looked out for him.

"Pull in anything good today, eh Viv?" said Scarp, Vivel's closest Galka friend. Scarp was a hardened Dark Knight, a warrior who trained in the black magic arts. He spent most of his time far away honing his skills in harsh climates, but visited Bastok every now and then. He had slain many beasts during the invasion of Quadav beastmen 5 years past, but still treated his friends with gentle care. As Vivel was a fellow magic user, the two became friends instantly through discussions and training together.

"Found a darksteel, and got ambushed by a leech," said Vivel, brushing the ash off of his faded doublet.

"With all that inflation, you can bring in a hefty sum for your DS, kid," said Scarp, with a hint of jealousy. "So, did you slice and dice the leech?"

"Yeah, and I found this," said Vivel, taking the ruby out to show Scarp. Scarp stared intently and turned to Vivel, "That there… that there's a keeper. You hold on to that one." Vivel shrugged and put it away. Little prizes like that were found all the time, most of them not worth too much at all. Plus, Vivel didn't want any undesired attention.

"Going to the big ballista match tomorrow, Scarp?" asked Vivel. Ballista was an annual event in which two countries went head to head in a fierce battle exercise. Bastok would be put against its old rival; the Kingdom of San D'Oria who had beat the Bastokans that last time they dueled. This year, plenty of Bastokans were excited at their chance for a comeback.

"Nah, just more political garbage for the would-be heroes out there," said Scarp, sighing. "I'll use my blade for more important matters, not the president's pride. I'd like to see these so called fighters take out 5 quadavs at once." Vivel was too young to fight during the Quadav conflict, as it was now referred to as. But from what Ignatious had told him, the Quadavs were part of the beastmen, terrible creatures that lived to see the destruction of civilizations such as Bastok. However, because of brave warriors and the Quadavs' mistake of attacking off of their own turf, the war was ended within 5 months and almost every Quadav was eliminated. "See you tomorrow, but hey, you should join the Ballista. You got more power than you give yourself credit for, Vivs." Said Scarp, and then he turned back around, heading towards his house in the mines district.

Vivel entered his humble home, made of two moderately sized rooms: The kitchen, where Ignatious did his best at cooking, and the bedroom with two beds. Vivel sat down in the kitchen, and observed Ignatious making the usual pebble soup, an unappetizing meal to say the least.

"That darksteel got us enough gil to go out to eat once in a while, even though I'm sure you prefer my cooking," said Ignatious with a smirk. Vivel laughed, and got up to hang up his backpack.

"So tomorrow when you're at ballista, want me to hit the mines?" said Vivel, trying to be helpful. Ignatious' short dark brown hair looked almost grey in this light, and from his rugged clothes and dirty skin, Vivel could see how overworked he was. Usually the two had terrible luck mining, and they barely made ends meat. Hopefully their will be more darksteel in our future, thought Vivel. Ignatious turned to Vivel with a big grin.

"How about you join me for ballista? It's an adrenaline rush bro, you won't want to miss out." But Vivel wasn't like that, unlike all of Bastok, he had no thirst for battle and bloodshed. He trained in swordsmanship and magic for self defense, and though he liked to imagine himself laughing in the face of fear, he would much rather hide from it. "Gee, I don't know Igs… I'm not tough enough to fight alongside you."

"That's not what Azurion thinks; he requested you come to the briefing. It starts in 10 minutes; let's go check it out at least?"

Azurion was Bastok's hero; a hume with long wavy brown hair and a scar over his left eye. He was a warrior that could wield almost every weapon imaginable with flawless form. He rose to fame after killing the adamanking in the quadav conflict and ending the war, in a battle so fierce it is said they fought for 12 hours without rest. It was during this battle that Azurion received the scar, and Bastok admires him for that alone. Now Azurion, was the leader of the Bastokan military which included organizing a ballista team. Vivel now knew he had no choice, if Bastok's hero wanted him to fight, he would fight. Not that he wasn't afraid, but at least he had a purpose. Vivel solemnly nodded his head and the two headed to the auction house for the briefing, leaving two bowls of pebble soup on the table.

There was a large crowd gathered around. Vivel recognized a few close hume friends, such as Mot, the cunning female ninja. And Stryder, the agile Ranger. Stryder pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and waved to Vivel. Mot looked over and smiled warmly. There were very few Galka there, as most Galka weren't enthusiastic about fighting for the Humes, as they saw it. The door of the Auction house opened and Azurion came out, making a stunning appearance as always. He was dressed in his ballista uniform, an all red suit of armor he designed himself, missing only the slender mask that didn't fail to show off his face. Everyone roared with applause and cheering, while Azurion stood there smiling. Vivel couldn't help but clap too, as he looked so cool and powerful standing up there. Azurion cleared his throat and began talking. The crowd fell silent, ready to hear his booming voice.

"Greetings, my fellow Bastokans. It is a pleasure and an honor to see each one of you. I see many new faces, so I will go over the basics first, listen carefully my brothers. We are facing off against the San D'Orian Kingdom in a battle exercise called ballista. Old Sandy has exclusively one race of creatures, Elvaan. The elfs are easily spotted by their crooked posture and long ears." Azurion paused as the crowd started "boo"ing the elvaan and laughing at his wisecrack. Vivel looked away in embarrassment, as his ears were pretty long too. He cleared his throat and began again. "The object of this match will be to thwart as many long-ears as you can, first off. Now don't worry, the white mages will be sealing each one of us with a spell that will make us unable to be seriously injured. However, the battles will still be intense and fierce… so the weak need not apply." The crowd roared again and started chanting, but quickly stopped to listen to Azurion continue. "Once you defeat an Elvaan, their bodies will be sent to the designated home point and they will be unable to fight any longer. The same goes for all of us, so basically kill or be killed. Fighting is only one element of the game. Small spheres called petras will be buried amongst the La Theine Plateau, our battlegrounds. You can carry up to three of these at a time, and they are our key to winning. Once you defeat someone, you will achieve gate breach status. This status is indicated by the glowing of any petras if you have one. Your gate breach will last for a limited time, roughly 5 minutes. Now, scattered across the plateau will be rooks, large basket like structures. Tossing a glowing petra in to the rook will give our team one point. The match will last for three hours, and whoever has the most points at the end wins!"

Vivel shuddered at the thought of giant elf people chasing him down with their swords and spears. His fear was cut short, as Azurion's voice rose above his thoughts and began again. "We lost last year 53 to 39, and I'll tell you why. The elvaan outnumbered us, plain and simple. We fought bravely, but were overwhelmed, and it looks like their team is even larger this year. But this time around we have a few new tricks up our sleeves. I have recruited a vital member to our team, a Bastokan who will surely bring victory. I would like to call Vivel up here!" The crowd softly clapped, many people didn't know Vivel by name, just as "that tarutaru who lives here." Vivel pushed past everyone and made his way up to Azurion. He was sweating in fear standing next to one of the greatest fighters of all time. Azurion held out has hand for Vivel to shake, and he hastily shook it, feeling his face grow red.

"Vivel is a tarutaru, born in Windurst. However, after a tragic event he moved here to Bastok, and since has been training his immense magical skills. He has a natural ability to use magic, and he will join us proud Bastokans in battle tomorrow! The crowd started cheering and chanting Vivel's name. Vivel smiled and felt his face grow even redder. "Do not feel embarrassed, comrade. These are your fans and you are a highly respected member of our country!" said Azurion, with a sincere smile. Vivel couldn't help but smile back.

"There is another surprise though. From Windurst, two mages have traveled here to fight on our behalf! Please welcome Shirokaze the White Mage and Dreanoc the Black Mage! The auction door opened and two tarutaru walked out, Vivel had never really seen another member of his race, it was almost frightening for him. Right away he recognized Dreanoc as the friend Ignatious had told him about, the one who introduced him to Vivel's parents. Dreanoc had hair like Vivel's, only darker, and his eyes were a light blue in contrast to Vivel's dark green. He was taller as well, but still half the size of a hume. Vivel could sense the magic inside him, and was taken aback at how great it was. He sensed a different type of magic in the one called Shirokaze. He had almost mystical brown eyes which complimented his light brown hair. He had shorter ears than Dreanoc, but the two were similar in shape and size. Azurion continued praising the two mages for choosing to help them, and the crowd continued to cheer.

"I have come up with a new strategy this year." Azurion boasted. "Sandy surely knows about our recruits, and will make it their priority to take out our tarutaru friends. We will use their arrogance to our advantage. When the match begins, we will send in Vivel, Shirokaze, and Dreanoc to take on their team alone. They will be eager at a chance to take out our key players right away, and will give chase. Now, Dreanoc, Shirokaze, and Vivel, this is the most important part. You are to run North past the old Holla crag, and we will be waiting. There we will ambush all of the elvaan and swiftly take them down before they can fight back. Fear not about being defeated while running away, I am dispatching our best rangers to protect you, but you still must find it in yourself to survive. We will gather back here tomorrow at 6:00 sharp. Now go on and prepare for tomorrow, Bastok. We will have victory!" The crowd began cheering one last time, louder than ever now. It slowly thinned out until only a few remained. Vivel shook hands with Shirokaze and Dreanoc and introduced himself. Ignatious greeted them, and offered to have them spend the night at their house so they could catch up.

That night, Vivel tossed and turned on the floor next to Ignatious while Shirokaze and Dreanoc slept in the beds. He was afraid of his task in the match. Shirokaze and Dreanoc seemed able to handle it, but he knew he would mess it up, and let Bastok down. He stood up and quietly walked in to the kitchen, grabbing his backpack. He then exited the house without making a sound, and walked in to the bare streets of the markets. There was a lot to ponder, and the cool night breeze helped Vivel clear his mind. He looked out towards the Port, and saw an airship departing towards the Grand Duchy of Jeuno. There was an old saying that all roads lead to Jeuno. It was the center of the world, as it seemed. Vivel wanted to travel there one day, where all types of people lived. He enjoyed Bastok, but wasn't a fan of feeling like an outcast.

"Hey, Vivel right?" said a voice. Vivel turned around to see Shirokaze, looking awake and lively.

"Hey Shirokaze, yeah, it's Vivel. You saw me leave?"

"Yes, something must be bothering you; you haven't been at ease since I met you."

"It's the match tomorrow. I have never done anything of that importance, I'm sure you and Dreanoc can do well, but I'm not well developed in my black magic. And everyone's counting on us."

"Well you aren't the only one, kid. I'm not too thrilled about our mission, but let's make the best of it. I'll keep you protected, I promise." Shirokaze smiled and patted Vivel on the back. "I can sense a powerful energy inside of you; don't count yourself out just yet." Vivel smiled and set his backpack down, then sat on a bench to continue talking. Suddenly, his ruby rolled out of the pack and glimmered in the moonlight.

"What's that?" asked Shirokaze with wonder in his eyes.

"Oh, I found it while I was mining today, it sure looks cool out here I guess. I didn't think it would be worth anything though," Said Vivel, shrugging.

"I doubt it's worth anything, but it could be a good luck charm. Bring it to the match tomorrow. But for now, the both of us need sleep. Let's head back." Shirokaze put the ruby in Vivel's pack and held it out for him.

"Just one more thing," said Vivel shyly. "What's it like, living in Windurst. I was born there, but have no memories of it."

"Oh, it's very peaceful," said Shirokaze with a faint smile. "We Tarutaru live with the Mithra, a race of cat-like humans who are quite kind, but also sly. It isn't as busy as Bastok, more laid back I suppose. And there is vegetation everywhere. Green is the color you will think of, rather than the gray Bastok. Of course, living here must be rewarding, you work really hard I know, but it will pay off." With that, the two friends returned home and peacefully went to sleep. Shirokaze was very comforting in his words, and he helped relieve Vivel of some of his fears.

In the morning they all had a quick bite to eat before heading out. Bread and butter were all, but they didn't want to fill up. At 5:45, they arrived at the auction house, and there was Azurion, dressed for battle as always. He had two axes at his sides, so those would be his weapons of choice today. The crowd was considerably smaller; almost a fourth of the size. Perhaps many from yesterday were just there to listen, thought Vivel. Azurion called all of the white mages up. Four Humes approached, and Shirokaze followed.

"Welcome, one and all. I hope you are all well rested and ready to go. I have just gotten word that Prince Ramyrez will be competing in the match, but do not fear his royalty. We will slay anything in our path! Now, form in to five groups and gather around a White Mage for teleportation to the Plateau."

"They can do that?" whispered Vivel to Ignatious.

"Mages are capable of a great number of things," Ignatious replied. He looked very determined on this day. He had told Vivel of an old rival of his, an Elvaan Monk by the name of Oopy. The two always secretly dueled during the ballista, and Ignatious was defeated terribly last year. He had a more personal revenge on his mind than the rest of the country. Dreanoc patted Vivel on the back. "We got this, just stay with me and it will be cake." Vivel smiled, feeling more secure now. Ignatious, Vivel, and Dreanoc gathered around Shirokaze. They were joined by Mot, who was wearing her ninja chain mail. Her long black hair was braided, and she seemed like a tough competitor.

"Vivel, don't be nervous. Ballista is a fun game, so enjoy it," she said. Azurion quickly counted everyone there.

"There are twenty-six of us. This is a great turnout. I expect to see thirty long-ears, so the scales are close to even. All right, mages begin teleportation!" Shirokaze closed his eyes and started focusing, just as Vivel did when he used magic. Before long, Shirokaze lifted his right arm in to the air and Vivel felt himself lifting off the ground. He hovered for a moment, and then in a blink of the eye, returned to the ground, or a floor of some sort.

"This is the Crag of Holla," Shirokaze explained. There was a giant blue crystal in the center of the platform everyone was on, and the floor was shining red. Vivel looked out across the Plateau. He saw fields of green, many different elevations and many trees. It was a wonderful place. The group walked down the steps, and soon the others all appeared at the crag. Azurion stepped out.

"This will be where our "bait" runs to. We will hide back here and spring a surprise attack. All rangers know their positions, and Vivel and company know their job. Now we are to meet the Elvaan South towards the Valkurm Dunes. Let us move out! Strength and honor!" Azurion began swiftly walking and everyone followed him.Vivel noticed Dreanoc and Shirokaze paying close attention to the path so they knew the way back. He quickly tried to take notes too, but everything looked the same. After a good twenty minutes, Vivel could see figures across the horizon. As he got closer, he saw them clearly. They were the Elvaan. Standing tall and proud, each and every one of them. Vivel immediately noticed Ignatious tense up and begin sweating. He was looking at a particularly tall Elvaan wearing an orange gi with iron knuckles at is sides. That must be Oopy, he thought. In the center stood their leader, who Azurion identified as Prince Ramyrez. He was wearing a golden breastplate, shining in the rising sun. His long gray hair and cold eyes struck fear in to Vivel. At his side was a long sword that was shimmering with gleam. Suddenly Vivel's temporary confidence faded, as he realized what he was getting in to. Azurion was correct, exactly thirty Elvaan were standing. Vivel noted two with mage-like robes. He immediately became self-conscious of his shaggy doublet. Azurion nodded to Ramyrez, who just shrugged and laughed.

Shirokaze began casting a protect spell on the Bastokans while an elvaan mage protected his team. Vivel felt the surge of energy go over him, and then he felt normal again. "The stage is set!" exclaimed Ramyrez, raising his sword in to the air. The mages then began casting invisible spells on everybody. In no time, Vivel couldn't see a single person.

"In two minutes, the spell will wear off. At that point, the fighting will begin!" declared Ramyrez. "Good luck to you, Bastok, we're sure you will try your best."

Vivel heard running footsteps. It was his team retreating to the crag. He took a few steps back, and contemplated running away with them. Before he had a chance to flee, he noticed Dreanoc and Shirokaze standing next to him. The spell had worn off.

"Hope you brought your running shoes," said Dreanoc pointing to the San D'Orian team as they began their chase.

"Here goes," said Vivel, more nervous than he was trying to let on.


	3. The Rainbow Weaver

Chapter 2- The Rainbow Weaver

Vivel felt his legs wobbling as the pack of San D'Orians drew nearer. He tried running, but he was too terrified. Looking next to him, Dreanoc and Shirokaze were standing their ground, as well.

"Guys, whats going on!" shouted Vivel. Ramyrez, who was leading the pack, pointed his sword at Vivel. The rest of the elvaan drew their weapons.

"Foolish cowards, Bastok sends you to fight and then runs off," scoffed Ramyrez. "Now all three of you inferior beings will pay the price for your nation's ignorance!" Vivel started trembling in fear, wondering why nothing was happening. He closed his eyes, ready to give in and be defeated, but there was not a sound. He gradually opened his eyes, and saw the entire Elvaan army standing in front of him, nodded off to sleep. Dreanoc was panting, "That's my Sleepga spell, they will wake soon so let's get moving. Vivel was amazed at Dreanoc's abilities as a mage. He himself could put one tunnel worm or hornet to sleep on a good day, and here were over two dozen ferocious elvaan snoring in front of him.

"We must make haste, Dreanoc's magic is drained after that stunt," said Shirokaze, turning and running. Dreanoc and Vivel followed suit.

"You're amazing, that was the most powerful magic I've ever seen," said Vivel to Dreanoc as they ran.

"It's nothing special, really. It's a good thing they stopped to chat with us before attacking, or I wouldn't have had time to get the spell off," said Dreanoc with a chuckle. The three continued their flight, running back almost the exact same way they had came. Before long, Vivel could see the crag's shape in the distance.

"We're in the clear!" he announced gleefully. Shirokaze looked worried, though.

"I don't think it will be that easy." He said, slowing down. Suddenly, he came to a complete halt. "Everyone, stop and stay close! I hear something," he said, looking around. Vivel and Dreanoc followed orders, and stopped running.

"Aww, come on Shiro," said Vivel, back to his cocky state. "Nobody's around. They are all back there sleeping."

"That can't be true," replied Shirokaze, still looking alertly around. "There were thirty of them when we first met, but I only counted twenty-nine when the fight started. They sent a straggler, I'm sure of it."

"How did you find the time to count them, we were being attac-" Vivel was cut off by a loud sounding stomp. Then there were more footsteps, he turned to see an especially tall elvaan wearing a red harness and holding a spear twice as long as Vivel head to toe.

"Good morning, gentlemen. You appear lost. Allow me to guide you home," he snickered, moving his spear in to attack position. Vivel quickly masked himself behind Dreanoc and whispered in to his ear, "Make him sleep, its only one."

"My magic is drained, I can try binding him, but you must defeat him." Said Dreanoc,looking on nervously. Shirokaze stepped forward.

"I know some black magic, I'll help you out. Vivel, prepare a strong elemental attack."

"I can't, guys. I'm too weak. I'm sorry but it won't hurt him even if I try," said Vivel, knowing his excuse probably wouldn't work.

"Oh, what a soap opera," said the elvaan, moving in. "It's too bad it has to end so soon." Shirokaze and Dreanoc nodded to each other and both cast a bind spell at the same time. It froze the elf in his tracks, but he was resisting the spell.

"Arghh, damn midgets… I'll rip your heads off… little bastards," he grunted, as he struggled to shake the bind off. Shirokaze and Dreanoc were also obviously struggling, and weakening.

"Now Vivel!" cried Dreanoc. "Attack him now!"

"I can't!" Vivel yelled back, feeling tears swell up in his eyes. He wasn't even willing to try, seeing that monstrous elvaan scared him too deeply.

"We aren't here to baby-sit you, Vivel. Now wake up and get going!" Dreanoc demanded. Shirokaze fell to the ground, completely out of magic. Without Shirokaze's power, the spear-wielding elvaan broke free and advanced on the three tarutaru. Free to move as he pleased, he wasted no time impaling his weapon through Dreanoc's abdomen.

"Dreanoc! Oh no!" cried out Vivel, as more tears filled his eyes. Even though Dreanoc apparently wasn't in pain, it still terrified Vivel to see such a sight. Dreanoc's body vanished, leaving a fainted Shirokaze and Vivel to fend off this attacker. Vivel lunged forward at the warrior, forgetting about everything he was told to do. With a swift kick from the powerful elvaan, Vivel was sent flying in to Shirokaze, and the two lay in a heap on the ground. Vivel rolled over and looked above him. He could see a rainbow overhead. He felt the ruby jabbing in to his back, and pulled it from his now torn backpack. It glowed and reflected the light of the rainbow. Vivel faintly smiled at its beauty, and then was kicked aside again by the angered elvaan.

"All right boys, it seems Bastok's trump card wasn't too useful anyways. All three of you morons were taken down by me alone, what a pity. Now its time to finish you two and proceed to flawlessly crush the humes. He hoisted his spear up, and brought it crashing down.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out and nicked its target right in his left hand. The elvaan cried out in pain and dropped his spear, narrowly avoiding Vivel's head. Stryder emerged from the nearby shrubbery, holding his bow and arrow pointed at the now defenseless elvaan.

"Nasty sneak attack, you blonde pretty boy runt, I'll get you for that," coughed up the elf as he tried to find his spear. Shirokaze was up and on the job by now, however. He grabbed the spear and dove at his enemy, driving it through his body just as he had done to Dreanoc. Before he could curse at Shirokaze, the elvaan was gone.

"Not bad, for a little guy," said Stryder to Shirokaze, while helping Vivel to his feet. Vivel was too ashamed to congratulate Shirokaze on his act of bravery, and turned away. Their moment on tranquility was cut short, as they heard the stomping of footsteps.

"They're awake and coming this way!" shouted Shirokaze. "We have to try and run!" But he was fooling nobody. He and Vivel were far too exhausted.

"I'll hold them off, just get the hell out of here," ordered Stryder, obviously not expecting it to make a difference. Now Vivel could make out their figure, and could almost make out their angry faces. He got an idea.

"I'm going to try a Firaga," said Vivel, concentrating on the strip of land that they were standing on.

"It won't work," Shirokaze said. "They can shake off the spell; we'll be done for either way."

"Who said I was going to attack them," Vivel questioned, and released a wall of fire separating them from the elvaan army. It burned down the surrounding trees and grew larger. The elvaan were stopped in their tracks, and Vivel could hear their cursing from the other side of the wall.

"No time to stare in awe," said Stryder as he grabbed Vivel's and Shirokaze's hands and began running. Vivel grabbed the ruby off of the ground as the three fled the scene. The elvaan mages were dimming the fire with their water spells, but it was taking them some time.

"You did it, Vivel, I told you that you could," Shirokaze exclaimed as they were running. Vivel was beaming in his victory moment, but then remembered Dreanoc and frowned.

"Hey, no use dwelling on it," said Shirokaze, as if he knew exactly what Vivel was thinking. "We have a Ballista to win, you can moan about it later, how does that sound?" Shirokaze smiled and Vivel forced a grin. He would just have to redeem himself.

The three reached the enormous crag of Holla, which looked like a white tower with platforms lined around it for teleportation. Stryder brought them around to the crag's backside and there were the Bastokans, hiding and ready for battle.

"Looks like you traded one in for Stryder," said Azurion.

"It's my fault." Vivel said. "I was supposed to attack and I didn't, and Dreanoc was out of power, and he got beat. I'm really really sorry mister Azurion!" Azurion laughed and walked over, saluting Vivel and Shirokaze. "You two did your job, and I see you took down an elf in the process by Stryder's three glowing petras. Good work to all of you. Vivel and Shirokaze, we saw a rook to the North-West earlier, go score those petras. The rook is right in front of a large lake. We will take care of the battling from here." Stryder handed Shirokaze the petras he had found.

"You guys have about two minutes to score these before the gate breach wears off, so don't stop to smell the flowers," said Stryder as he walked over to join his Bastokan friends. Vivel glanced over at Ignatious and saw him smiling, Vivel nodded back.

"The elvaan have arrived, General Azurion," Mot yelled back. "Let us move in and attack!" The Bastokan team jumped out from all sides of the crag in an ambush. Shirokaze tugged at Vivel's arm. "Come on, we must hurry," he said, leading the way to the rook.

Ignatious ignored the other elvaan and found Oopy, staring at him with that devilish grin. He motioned over to a secluded spot where they could have their match.

Ignatious felt the tension in him building, as he had sworn to defeat Oopy this year. However, he hadn't been training lately as much as he would have liked, and wasn't so sure of himself anymore. The two met up in an arena-like circle of grass surrounded by trees.

"Nice to see you, Iggy," said Oopy, retaining his smile. "You seem a little flustered. Don't forget that you called for this rematch, friend."

"Oopy, your overconfidence is your blind spot. This time you will learn that words alone can't win your battles. You were a strong student, but not a wise one. Your inability to receive criticism and learn from it was what forced me to give up on training you as a Samurai."

"You sought only to hold me back. I am now more powerful than you could ever hope to be, and it is thanks to my own training and my own fists. I have a few new tricks up my sleeve that I can't wait to show you." Oopy began charging his energy and focusing it to one spot.

"Is that, Chi energy?" Ignatious questioned, drawing his Katana, ready for battle.

Oopy, rather than responding, released a wave of light that shot right at Ignatious. He jumped out of the way, just enough to dodge the blast. It continued on and destroyed every tree in its path. Oopy wasted no time in charging Ignatious, with his iron knuckles set to fight. He sent a flurry of punches, and Ignatious parried each one with his blade. Oopy jumped back, and then lunged forward, increasing the speed of his attacks. Ignatious knew he couldn't keep this up for long, but his weapon was too slow to land a direct hit. Oopy caught him off guard and delivered a swift punch to the face, sending Ignatious down and his weapon flying out of his hands.

"I can see the rook!" Vivel shouted, pointing to the large floating jar overhead. Just as Azurion had predicted, it was right in front of a large lake.

"You score them," said Shirokaze, handing the petras to Vivel. "Bastok needs my healing right now." Shirokaze turned and ran back, leaving Vivel to score for Bastok. Vivel walked up and tossed the three spheres in to the rook, and the rook flashed

Bastok: 3 - San D'Oria: 0. He smiled and sighed at the same time. The ruby in his hand was glowing especially here, and he brought it closer to the lake. His body began to tingle again, and he dropped the ruby and watched it roll in to the lake. A blinding light flashed in front of him, and he saw a glimpse of the rainbow he had seen before.

"Oh, no, my good luck charm!" Vivel said as he ran to try and retrieve it. Suddenly, a soothing voice came over him.

"Hello, young adventurer. My name is Carbuncle."

Vivel turned around and standing behind him was the most miraculous thing he had ever seen.

"It didn't take long to finish you, old man," said Oopy, walking over to Ignatious. "I was hoping you would at least fight back." This was Ignatious's chance. He jumped up and dove for his katana, grabbing it off the ground. Oopy responded by charging at Ignatious again. This time, he would be ready. Ignatious stuck his blade in to the ground and heaved it forward and up, sending dirt and rocks flying at Oopy's unguarded face.

"My eyes, there's dirt in them!" shouted Oopy. Ignatious kicked him to the ground and held his blade over his former student's body.

"It is not the most powerful who wins, but the most cunning," declared Ignatious. But somehow, he couldn't find it in himself to deliver the finishing blow and he hesitated. Oopy gave him no time to make up his mind, and quickly powered up another chi blast. In a flash, Ignatious was overcome by the direct hit and was knocked out of the Ballista.

Vivel couldn't believe his eyes. Standing there was a glowing blue creature. It had a magnificent coat and several long flat tails. Between his two long flowing ears was a red mark on his forehead which looked like the ruby Vivel had just lost. This creature had wide, concerned eyes and stood on all fours, making it a small being even compared to Vivel.

"My name is Carbuncle, and I am a terrestrial avatar, the keeper of rainbows." His mouth was not moving but Vivel could hear the words inside of him. "You have called me here to become a Summoner, have you not?"

"S, s, summoner? I don't know what that is, mister. I don't know what you're doing here. Are you from San D'Oria?"

"I am an avatar, a being from another plane. You filled my ruby with the colors of the rainbow and called me here. I assume you wish to undergo the trials as a Summoner.

"What trials, what is a summoner?" said Vivel. "You must have the wrong person, Carbuncle, sir.

"This is very peculiar, meeting you here. It has been many years since I was called, and my power is fading as we speak. The six I am bound to, they are fading as well. You must take me to them."

"Take you where? I am not the type of guy who travels, I am a simple miner. Maybe I could ask a friend to take you." Said Vivel, still in disbelief of what he was seeing.

"I sense a great deal of power in you, young Tarutaru. Yet, I also sense confusion and fear. Become a Summoner, young one. Help me to free the six I am bound to. You can call me when you need me, Summoner. Earth, Ice, Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning, travel to the cloisters and call me, Summoner." Carbuncle slowly began to fade. "My power is weak here; call me in the cloisters, Summoner. I give you my power, you must help me."

"How do I call you, and where are the cloisters?" Vivel asked.

"Both answers you will find for yourself. Summoner, hear me. You have the potential to become a great hero. I sense deception in your future, be wary of the journey you take. My time is done. You know your task, it is your choice to complete it, but I am begging you to help… I see now that only you can help. My power here has faded…. Remember… call me… the six….. Cloister….." And with that, Carbuncle vanished. Vivel couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. His whole life had been mining and training in the hills of Gustaberg. Now he was called on for some mission he didn't even understand, by a being he had never imagined he would see. But he also felt empowered. As if a part of him he never even knew existed had been empty all this time, but was now brimming with energy. Forgetting about Ballista completely, he slowly walked back the way he had come.

The Ballista had come down to Oopy and Ramyrez versus Azurion and Stryder. Everyone had taken heavy damage, but not nearly enough to give in. Stryder and Oopy squared off, while Azurion and Ramyrez began fighting. The score had moved to

Bastok: 38 - San D'Oria: 39. The last player standing would win for his team. There was a rook up on a ledge near the fighters. Oopy charged Stryder, and sent a punch that narrowly missed him. Stryder activated his camouflage technique, and blended in with his surroundings. Oopy assumed he had been defeated and went to attack Azurion, but an accurate arrow shot in Oopy's back quickly ended the Monk's assault. Ramyrez used this chance to lunge at Stryder, crushing his sword down on him and knocking him out of the game. Now it was down to Azurion and Ramyrez, and the two began their duel. Although Ramyrez was clearly more powerful, his heavy armor wouldn't allow him to keep up with Azurion's swift battle style. Still, Ramyrez was skilled enough to parry both of Azurion's axe swings hit for hit. The battle raged on, with neither of them able to score a direct hit. Vivel wandered over to the rook, and returned to the reality that he was in the middle of a Ballista. Now he felt able to win, fully restored and refreshed. Ramyrez cast a Flash spell on Azurion, blinding him for a moment, and prepared to drive his sword in to Bastok's hero. Vivel quickly cast a Tractor spell, dragging Azurion to his position while Ramyrez struck air. Ramyrez looked around, dumbfounded.

"I owe you one kid, time to win this," said Azurion. He took one of his axes and hurled it at Ramyrez's chest. It was a direct hit, and defeated the San D'Orian team. Azurion scored 3 points, bringing the score to 41 to 39; winning the match. Azurion and Vivel were warped back to the entire Bastokan team, all looking completely fine.

"We won it," Azurion said, and his team exploded with cheering. Dreanoc approached Vivel and smiled, offering a warm handshake.

"Shirokaze told me about your heroics after I was defeated. Everyone is proud of you, you did well." Vivel was relieved to see Dreanoc looking replenished and cheerful. Shirokaze and Ignatious approached Vivel, smiling also. For a moment, Vivel forgot about the bizarre events with Carbuncle. Ramyrez and his defeated team approached, and he shook hands with Azurion, while muttering under his breath. One of the galka lifted Vivel on to his shoulders and they began chanting his name. Dreanoc used his black magic to warp everyone to Bastok, where the real celebration began. Vivel was honored on behalf of the President and there was a feast celebrating their triumph. It was more than a game to the people of Bastok, it was their very pride.

That night, Dreanoc and Shirokaze slept over again. In Vivel's dreams he saw visions of a large crystal and running quicksands. And he heard: "The cloisters …Summoner… ..Call…...Free ….Summoner...trial….avatar….Summoner…


	4. Into the Caves

Chapter 3- Into the Caves

Vivel awoke at 5:30, at least an hour before Ignatious as always. He slowly dragged himself from the blankets, and walked in to the kitchen, where he saw Shirokaze sitting, bowing his head in deep thought.

"Good morning, Vivel," he said without looking up. Vivel took a seat on the chair next to him, contemplating telling him about Carbuncle and becoming a Summoner.

"You want to tell me something, something that has been bothering you?" Shirokaze asked, finally lifting his head and looking at Vivel. Although part of him thought he should keep it a secret, Vivel knew he could trust Shirokaze for advice.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I think I was given a great task and responsibility," Vivel said, unaware if Carbuncle had even been real. "I am nervous about rising to this challenge, and don't really know where to go from here, but I can't ignore it, for some reason…"

"Vivel, the only one who doubts you is yourself, you saved Azurion yesterday and won the Ballista, and created the firaga wall when I was ready to give up," said Shirokaze, "but the most amazing thing, was that you claimed to have only trained in the Bastokan Region, a relatively safe place. Yet you handled yourself like a veteran of Black Magic yesterday, only held back by your doubts and fears. This task you say you are given, do not let fear hold you back, for I feel that you will accomplish great things for our entire world, deeds that shall go down in history."

With those words, Vivel knew what he had to do. His life would have a purpose to it, he would seek out the six Carbuncle was connected to, he would become a Summoner.

Later that morning, Shirokaze and Dreanoc's airship arrived to take them back to Windurst. A small crowd was gathered around the Port Bastok dock seeing them off. Dreanoc patted Vivel on the back. "See you around, kid," he said smiling. Shirokaze approached.

"I'm sure our paths will bring us together in the future, I look forward to it."

"I don't know, Shiro. I don't know if I can be brave," Vivel said, not willing to see his new friend leave so soon.

"Do not forget what I told you earlier, everything will work out, you'll see."

With that, the two boarded their ship, and it departed. Azurion called for everyone to salute them as they began their journey home. Vivel and Ignatious Gloomily walked home and began preparing for the day.

"Ready to go mining, Vivs?" asked Ignatious, packing his pickaxe. Just like that, Ignatious had seemingly forgotten about everything and wanted to return to normalcy.

"Ignatious, there is something I have to do… I need to leave Bastok," sad Vivel, feeling his fear boil up again. Ignatious sighed and took a seat.

"You did well yesterday, but you still have a lot to learn. I don't know if you are ready to venture off on your own. Wherever you are going, let me go with you."

"It isn't that, Ignatious. There is somewhere I need to go that would only put you in danger. I need to do this alone." Vivel couldn't believe what he had just said. How could he be doing this to himself, it was just dangerous and pointless.

"I had a feeling that you would want to leave someday, Vivel. You aren't a miner; your potential far exceeds mine. But, you aren't about to go get yourself killed over something you can't even share with me." Ignatious was right, thought Vivel. I shouldn't be risking my neck to help something I wasn't even sure existed. But, a part of Vivel was tugging at him, telling him helping Carbuncle was the right thing to do, and Shirokaze had said he would be fine…

"I'll be okay, that's a guarantee. Just please let me go, I will mine twice as hard tomorrow."

"How do I know there will be a tomorrow for you, Vivel. In many ways you are still just a child, and I am your guardian. I will not allow you to go off on your own, and that is final!"

Vivel had never seen Ignatious get so angry. In fact, this was the first time he had ever been yelled at. There was silence, and Vivel continued to stare at Ignatious with determination. Ignatious sighed and scratched his brow.

"So you're not going to listen to me then?" Ignatious said. "Well, in that case, there is no point in my resisting. You will do what you need to, and I wish you good luck." Vivel felt a lump in his throat. Ignatious really was the best friend he could ever ask for, and here he was going away and leaving him all alone.

Ignatious motioned for Vivel to come to him, and the two friends hugged, while Vivel was choking back tears.

"If you get to go have fun, you aren't making me stay all alone. I will go hone my Samurai skills in distant lands. I'm sure our travels will intertwine at some point," said Ignatious, returning to his happy self.

"Yeah," Vivel replied, to afraid to say anything else at the risk of Ignatious seeing him cry. He turned away and grabbed his old backpack. Ignatious had sewn it back together. Vivel quickly filled it with his gil reserves in case he needed to pay for something, and a few snacks.

"Don't forget your katana," said Ignatious reaching for Vivel's rusted blade.

"I won't be needing it, I have everything already," said Vivel, unaware if he actually did.

"Oh, all right then," said Ignatious, now feeling a little emotional. He looked in to Vivel's eyes, "I truly am proud of you, take care old friend."

And with that, Vivel left his house, wondering if he would ever see it again. The gray, dismal sky reflected his feelings. It wasn't yet raining, as if it was holding back. Vivel was holding back as well. But this wasn't time to begin sobbing like a child. He knew where he would go. To the place his parents had gone, so long ago. He saw it in his dreams, The Quicksand Caves.

Vivel's rugged doublet and dirty trousers were becoming damp from his sweat. He had entered the Zeruhn Mines, but not for his daily routine. There was a blocked off section of the Mines that led to the Korrokola Tunnel, an underground passage that connected Bastok to the Desert of Altepa, the fierce land where the Quicksand Caves were located. He approached the passage to the tunnel and was stopped by a Hume Bastokan guard.

"Hold up, hot shot," he said. "You ain't going past here."

"I need to," said Vivel. "There is a place on the other side where I have to go. It is important that you let me pass."

"Look," said the guard, taking off his heavy armet to show Vivel his frightening glare, "there's nothing out there but sand, sand, and more sand. Why is it that so many visitors wish to go look at sand? Not to mention it is crawling with giant scorpions and antican beastmen. You ever seen an antican, kid? They're nasty overgrown walking insects. They'll tear you limb from limb, no matter how tiny and defenseless you are."

"Just let me through please, sir," said Vivel, getting an idea.

"Like I said, you ain't going nowhere, and I'm gonna rough you up a bit if you continue to bug me, ya hear?" By now, Vivel had already begun casting his sleep spell.

"You little rat, what the hell do ya think you're doing!" shouted the guard, reaching for his sword. But before he could think again, he had slumped on to the ground and drifted off in to a sleep. Vivel could not believe what he had just done. But there was little time to act, so he quickly slipped past the guard and down the narrow path in to the tunnel.

Vivel felt a chill as soon as he entered, this place felt completely empty. Thankfully, from what he had observed, it was a one way path. Getting lost was a bad habit of Vivel's. The tunnel was cold and damp, and as Vivel moved on, he could feel himself breaking the constraints of his old life. This was it, he was really doing this. No more routine mining just to barely get by. He was now taking actual life-threatening risks, and it filled him with horror and excitement. Luckily, he was able to slip past the few enemies he encountered, and after quite some time of his trance-like walking, he noticed the tunnel caving in as he walked. I must be getting close to the desert, he thought. Sure enough, Vivel reached the tunnels end and looked out over a vast, open, body of sand.

"That was easy," he said to nobody in particular. "Now to find these caves and meet up with Carbuncle. No problem! This is so much less difficult than I had imagined!"

Vivel didn't realize just how large this desert was. To his left and right he saw sand. In front and behind him was sand. He decided to just randomly search the place until he reached some sort of cave. Vivel soon learned he had to move fast or his feet would sink in to the sand and it would be hard to walk. He walked briskly and quickly, keeping his eyes peeled for anything unusual. He ignored the fact that he was completely lost, and the fact that the Quicksand Caves may hold nothing of use to his quest, and the fact that he was in grave danger being here alone. He just kept repeating Shirokaze's words in his head, and he felt comfort.

This comfort was cut short, as a giant predator leaped out from the sand under Vivel's fee, sending him down in to the sand. It was one of the antican he had been warned about. It truly was a terrifying sight, with its small, menacing head and large antennae feeling around. Standing as tall as a Galka with a sword at its side, Vivel knew he wouldn't be around for long if he didn't act fast. The antican warrior was startled, and Vivel jumped to his feet and hastily cast a sleep spell. The giant insect's beady eyes closed, while Vivel breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could follow up with an offensive spell, the antican awoke, and instantly identified Vivel as his enemy.

"Guess I am in over my head," said Vivel, feeling both afraid and ashamed. His feeble magic skills weren't going to work on a real live beastman. The antican lunged at Vivel with his sword, and Vivel narrowly missed the attack by dropping down and rolling. He immediately sprung to his feet and started to run, with his attacker following closely. This won't work, thought Vivel, feeling his leg muscles start to burn. He sharply turned around and scooped up a pile of sand, then proceeded to throw it in to the antican's face. It let out a piercing screech that almost sounded like a laugh, and began blindly slashing at Vivel. The tarutaru's agility and shortness allowed him to swiftly dodge, until he looked behind himself and noticed a pool of swirling quicksand. He backed up to it, and as the Antican made one giant leap towards Vivel, he sidestepped, watching the antican fall in to the sands. It wasn't about to go down without a fight however, and reached out, grabbing one of Vivel's legs and pulling him down with it. Vivel could feel himself being sucked downwards and tried struggling to stay above the sands. The antican's shrieking grew fainter, as it was sucked down in to the vortex of sand. Vivel could feel his muscles giving up, and eventually lost the struggle and was sent down too.

Vivel awoke in a strange dark room. He had landed on a bed of sand, and thanks to it survived the fall from above. The same could not be said for the antican, who had landed on a pile of rocks and clearly died from his shattered exoskeleton. Looking around, Vivel could see carvings on the walls of this strange place that looked like waves of galka fighting with many antican. Amazed, Vivel remembered hearing tales of the Galka originating in the Altepa Desert. Then, it hit him. These must be the fabled Quicksand Caves. What luck, he thought. Of course, being in this place would be considered lucky by no sane person, but Vivel felt closer to his destination now. He stumbled over to the antican, still a little woozy from his ordeal, and robbed the corpse of its sword. He then slowly began walking down a narrow hallway, being very careful to watch his step.

The location was truly amazing to Vivel. The structure almost reminded him of Bastok itself, and he could see how the Galka had once lived here. In Vivel's fascination he failed to notice that he had walked in to a room with four very powerful anticans. He quickly heard their familiar cackle, and turned to face what looked like four clones of the beastmen he had just fought. Vivel stood his ground, trying not to be afraid. He could barely see them in the dim light of the caves. The beastmen circled in on him and began examining him. They started to cackle and sneer at Vivel, who was trying his best not to turn and run in fear. One of them got right in his face and started feeling his forehead with its antennae. It felt like an eternity to Vivel, although it was really only a couple of seconds. Then, to Vivel's complete surprise, they left him alone, retreating to their posts. Hmm, they must have realized that I am not the person they want to mess with, Vivel thought, feeling pretty confident again. Then he realized that with his sword, they must have thought he was one of them. He decided to take his chances.

"Um excuse me, fellow ant men, beastmen, sirs," he said, startling the four antican and making them rush over to him. "Um, hello comrades. Do you know where one could find the cloister? The avatar cloister trial with Carbuncle?" The beastmen stared at him, as if trying to make out what he had just requested of them. Then, one of them let out a shattering scream, and began to run while its three allies followed. Vivel, figuring there was no better option, followed after them. "Wait guys, please tell me where I can find the cloister, I need to go there so I can help my friend!" Vivel chased them through long corridors, trying his best to keep up. He could hear shaking above his head, and feared his death would be the same as his parents. There was a loud shaking, and part of the ceiling broke off and starting falling right on Vivel. In a flash, the four antican doubled back and together, caught the debris, tossing it aside and saving Vivel's life.

"Thank you so much, guys! I owe you one," said Vivel, amazed that they were looking out for him. The lead antican sneered and began running again. They kept jumping down off of short ledges that Vivel saw no way of climbing back up. As they ran, the antican around them would let out shrieks, and it made Vivel begin to worry if they were leading him to his doom, like some sort of execution. They closed in on a long hallway of the caves lined with worms, and when a small light came in to view, they quickly turned around and ran away screeching.

Vivel approached this light, holding out his sword. He knew that it could turn out to be the lair of a new enemy, but this time he would be prepared. Turning around the bend, he saw the source of the light and the antican's fear. In front of him was a giant floating crystal, giving off the same energy he felt when he had held the ruby.


	5. Trial by Earth

Chapter 4- Trial by Earth

"So this must be the cloister," said Vivel taking a look around. The room was circular, with the shimmering brown crystal in the middle.

"You are correct, it is the cloister of tremors," said the familiar voice of Carbuncle. Sure enough, Vivel's little blue companion had appeared to his left.

"Carbuncle! Look, I did it; I passed the trial and reached the cloister!" Vivel exclaimed excitedly.

"The trial has not yet begun, young summoner," said Carbuncle, looking up at Vivel. From now on I can not talk to you as I am. You must enter the earth protocrystal, and summon me to your side."

"Why do you expect so much of me?" said Vivel, unsure how to complete Carbuncle's request.

"I cannot enter the crystal, young summoner. All I can do to help is put a part of my spirit inside of you. You must summon me and control me, and then you can help solve the mystery of the avatar inside. Feel your heart resonate within the crystal, young summoner. Good luck." Carbuncle faded away, just as he had in La Theine Plateau. Vivel was left alone with the crystal.

Sighing heavily, Vivel stepped closer to the protocrystal. He still wasn't sure what to believe, but he decided to listen to what Carbuncle said. He felt as if it was repelling him, but he continued to advance on it. Moving right next to it, Vivel moved his hand across the surface, and began to feel its energy wash over him. He could definitely understand what Carbuncle meant by feeling it resonate within him. Now, instead of being pushed away, he felt himself being pulled in. Closing his eyes, Vivel lost all control of his body, just like when Shirokaze had preformed the teleport spell. When his eyes opened, he was standing in a place he would have never imagined.

Behind him was the protocrystal, and in front was a long narrow path leading up. He was standing on a floating ledge, strangest of all, and looking around he saw a distorted palette of colors all around. An enormously loud voice overtook all of Vivel's thoughts at the moment.

"Who awakens me from my eternal slumber," shouted a deafening voice.

"It's me, the Summoner. I'm here to help you out," replied Vivel, hoping it would be that easy.

"Summoner! You venture in to my world to undergo the trial?" the voice boomed. Vivel quivered and shouted, stammering,

"That sounds about right. Carbuncle and me want to help you out, so if you would just tell me what to do, then I can do my best." Vivel saw a much large crystal in the distance. He was sure it was the source of the voice.

"Wager your life, see if you can withstand my power!" said the voice, growing louder. "I am Titan, avatar of the Earth. Summoner, see if your training has served you well!"

"You have got to be kidding me", thought Vivel. "I come here to rescue this man, and now he wants to kill me!" The voice silenced, but Vivel could faintly make out a figure emerging from the crystal overhead. He could feel it now, more than ever. It felt like Carbuncle, but more intense and straining. The monstrous body moved in on a helpless Vivel. "OK, Carbuncle," Vivel whispered. "You can help me now. Come on out and kill this thing! How am I supposed to call you?" His thoughts were yet again cut short, as looming above him was the frame of Vivel's worst nightmares.

It was incredibly tall and muscular, putting the fiercest Galkan warrior to shame. With rock hard skin, an angry snarling face, and a slim long band of white hair, Vivel realized just how real his debacle was. Covered only by a loincloth, Titan's every fiber was ready to rip Vivel apart. At the same time, Vivel was enriched with the spirit to fight. He had been unusually confident ever sense feeling Carbuncle's energy for the first time.

"OK, let's go!" Vivel said solemnly. He jumped back, and quickly created a wall of fire, blocking him from Titan's grasp. Vivel sighed triumphantly at how quickly he was able to perform the magic. Titan, however, was unfazed. With a stomp of his bare foot, the body of flames ceased existence.

"No!" Vivel yelled. Titan looked down upon Vivel for the first time, just glaring at his weak body. Reaching for his antican sword, Vivel grasped the handle and lunged towards Titan, crashing the blade down on his bare left leg. Pain shot through Vivel's wobbly arms and surged through his body. The sword shattered on Titan's unscratched leg, and Vivel went down curled in a ball.

"Your feeble skills are futile, Summoner. Do you know nothing of our power?" Titan's voice echoed inside of Vivel, now even angrier than before. "This embarrassment will be tolerated no longer. Farewell, foolish mortal, spend the rest of your life in the emptiness of my world!" Titan retreated slowly up the path, leaving Vivel and the shattered pieces of the sword. Vivel's body throbbed with pain and humiliation. His eyes closed, and he began to drift off.

"You mustn't give in, you will defeat Titan," said the soothing voice Vivel instantly recognized as Carbuncle. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing. He felt nothing either, as if he was floating on thin air. His only sense was hearing Carbuncle's voice inside of him. "Summon me as you cast a spell; release the dormant energy you have sleeping inside of you, Summoner. Remember my power, and bring it out. You must learn the art of summoning now. You are the evoker, accept and release my power!"

With that, the reality of Titan's world flushed over Vivel and he sprang to his feet. Victory was his only option, and with that resolve he began following Carbuncle's instructions.

"Let's see," he whispered softly. "When I cast a spell, I close my eyes and picture it. So there's that." Vivel sighed and looked around. This was going to be difficult. The last thing he wanted to do was go and face Titan again, but maybe if he could do what Carbuncle said…. It would be easier. Shutting his eyelids, Vivel began picturing Carbuncle's form. Slowly, he felt the energy Carbuncle gave off, the sleeping powers that had been inside of him. And then, it happened.

The power was outside of him now, sparks of energy dancing along his physical body. It grew more intense and profound with each passing second, and Vivel then was guided by inner instinct. Opening his eyes and throwing his arms forward a circular seal appeared temporarily on the dirt in from of him, and from it came the little blue creature Vivel had known as Carbuncle. Vivel quickly remembered that this was not the real Carbuncle, but a part of him that had been granted. But now, he could sense that he had a handle on his Carbuncle copy, and turned up the winding path to face Titan.

"So you're going to beat him for me," Vivel murmured, staring at his avatar. Carbuncle responded by looking up at him. Vivel also noticed that keeping his companion by his side put a strain on his magical abilities. He would have to act quickly before he lost the strength to retain Carbuncle's being. With a heavy breath, Vivel ascended the path briskly, Carbuncle following close behind. Although he feared the worst, Carbuncle's soothing presence again gave him courage. "Hey, Titan," yelled Vivel as he drew nearer to the summit. "It's time for round two!" In front of him, Vivel saw the large crystal, surrounded by chunks of rock being circulated. A circle similar to the one Vivel had made appeared below the crystal, and the mighty Titan made his re-entrance.

"So you will again test yourself against me, Summoner," he boomed. "Then unleash your power, he who is one yet many." Carbuncle ran at Titan at that instant, protecting Vivel from the Earth avatar's assault. It jumped in to the air and flipped around, sending its tail crashing on Titan's chest. Grunting, Titan stepped back which Carbuncle recoiled on to the ground. Vivel sensed that the attack had little effect on his opponent, and now it was time to see how Titan would retaliate. Lifting his bulky arm in to the air, Titan brought his elbow crashing down on Carbuncle's fragile body. The blue avatar whimpered from the blow, but jumped at Titan again. This time, Titan was prepared. With the swipe of one arm, he grabbed Carbuncle in mid air and brought him crashing to the ground, smothering his body on to the hard surface. Letting out a screech, Carbuncle struggled to release himself from Titan's grasp.

"So this is summoning? This is a fair test? Allow me to show you what a God like myself can do!" shouted Titan. Still holding Carbuncle down, he drove his other arm in to the rock hard ground, penetrating it with ease. Just as quickly, he pulled out a boulder the size of Vivel's tarutaru body.

"Now witness your negligible offense become nothing!" Titan bellowed, crushing the rock down on to Vivel's avatar. With faint squeak, Carbuncle disappeared and Vivel felt its power leave him. What luck, thought Vivel sarcastically. Now he was left to face Titan again, back where he had started.

"Look sir, I'm sorry. I didn't want to fight you, really. And I respect you are superior to me. Can't I just go home?" whimpered Vivel, turning his head from the grotesque sight of Titan's bloodthirsty face.

"Do not lie to me, Summoner!" said Titan, his voice hitting Vivel from all angles. "You came here looking to take the trial. Now face me with dignity and accept your destiny!" Vivel had heard enough, he turned and took off down the winding path, lying to himself that he could find an escape.

"Do not run from me, you fool, this domain is my existence! For your cowardice you shall witness death by astral flow!" echoed the voice. "I can perform this ultimate technique by using my full potential, and I assure you it will be the last thing you ever witness." Vivel continued running down to where he had entered until the form of Titan appeared in front of him.

"Your mortal skills will not get you out of this, fool."

Vivel knew it was now or never, Ignatious had always taught him to expect for everything to go wrong and then make the best of it. Well, he had gotten the first part right, now it was time to see what he could do. His key to winning was Carbuncle, and just maybe he could unlock some of this astral power that Titan mentioned. Reaching to the ground, he grasped at a shard from the broken sword he had used and heaved it at Titan. The small piece hit him directly in his right eye, sending the earth avatar back grunting in pain.

"You, you fool! I will tear you limb from limb I swear it! Your cravenly disgrace shall bring the ultimate death!" bellowed Titan, rubbing at his eye. Vivel doubled back and quickly began to summon Carbuncle.

"That will not save you now, you damned imbecile. You have angered the avatar of tremors, you will die!" In Titan's yelling, Vivel's blue avatar reappeared in front of his eyes, staring down Titan for a rematch.

"This is the end, I will unleash my Earthen Fury, now perish and rid my world of your filth!" boomed Titan, as he began to concentrate on Vivel. The ground began trembling violently, and Titan started to glow with a brown aura. That power, Vivel recognized it. It was the symbolic bottle of energy Carbuncle had stored inside him. It was astral flow. Titan's scream howled in Vivel's ears and he brought both of his arms crashing to the ground, having Vivel feel himself become lifted off of the foundation he was standing on. With a thud, Vivel and Carbuncle crashed to the ground, both seriously hurt. The solid rock they were on was still rumbling, and any second it would send Vivel to his death.

"Now or never," Vivel announced, jumping to his feet with all of his might. He needed to reach deep down to find the astral energy. It was there, just waiting to be unleashed. He clenched his fists and felt the aura come over him, a golden shine. His senses sharpened and he felt completely in sync with Carbuncle, as if he was the avatar himself. Titan was just overhead charging in on is two adversaries.

"Now attack with Searing Light," Vivel commanded, and Carbuncle immediately jumped into the air at Titan. In a massive explosion, Carbuncle sent a wave of blindingly bright light over the entire battlefield, sending Titan back and ripping at his rock hard body. The room stayed illuminated for several seconds with complete silence. Vivel felt all of his power leave him, and Carbuncle quickly vanished yet again.

To Vivel's great horror, Titan was in front of him, standing at the edge of the path with his arms shielding his face. Vivel had no weapon, no magic, and no power to summon. The ground still was shaking violently, and while it would have been easier to accept his inevitable defeat, Vivel reverted to his most basic attack.

"I'm not about to lose after all of that," Vivel threatened as he charged at Titan head on. The mighty behemoth stood in front of him still recovering from the attack. Vivel took two long steps and hoisted his frail body in to Titan's burly chest. The blow felt more painful to Vivel than anything he had ever experienced, and he recoiled back to where he was before. He immediately grabbed his head in agony, losing almost all consciousness.

The light tap of Vivel hitting Titan combined with his guard being down and the unstable ground below him combined to bring Titan extreme misfortune. He stumbled back off of his path and in to the abyss of his world, falling infinitely down into the depths of his trial.

"Summoner, hear me," echoed inside of Vivel's head. "You have defeated me, with no prior knowledge to summoning. You have passed the trial by earth and taken one step towards your true destiny. Take my power; you may now call me to fight by your side. Take care, summoner, my powers alone will not be enough to help you. Seek the others out in the far corners of your world. We sleep in a time that is neither an instant, nor an eternity. Your visit shall exist in my world forever. Now go off, he who is one yet many…"


	6. A Fighter of the Kingdom

Chapter 5- A Fighter of the Kingdom

"Hey, look there. He seems to be waking up. I'm surprised that the little guy made it."

"Stupid runt, we had better get a big reward for saving this weakling."

"Yeah, if he's worth anything, I guess."

Vivel heard these voices in a muffled tone. It stung his ears to listen to them speak, his whole head was ringing. He soon realized his entire body was sore, and on top of that he had no idea where he was. It didn't feel like Bastok at all. The air was cleaner to breathe, and it annoyed his senses. Slowly and cautiously he opened his eyes, and saw two large blurry figures in front of him. The light flooding the room burned his vision, and he quickly shut his eyes, while the two figures continued to converse.

"He's that little mandragora-kid from the Ballista match last week, Ignatious's kid. Pathetic, Sen. Exactly why I dont give those little vermin Tarutaru any respect. And as for Ignatious, I defeated him with ease. Our training will make us the strongest in the world at this rate."

"I just hope the little guy turns out to be all right. Altana knows what he was doing out there by himself."

Vivel's senses were returning to him with clarity now, beginning with his vision. He could now see the two figures in front of him clearly, and identified them both as Elvaan. The taller one was definately Oopy, with the same grimace he had worn during the Ballista match. He was wearing an orange gi with white slacks, a Monk by Vivel's guess. The shorter Elvaan had cleaner, whiter hair than Oopy's. He wore a red gi very much like Oopy's, but his eyes gleamed with concern unlike his taller companion. Rising from his luxurious bed, Vivel caught Oopy's attention immediately.

"Hey, you! Finally up then, eh? It's been almost a full week that you were knocked out. I was just about ready to dig a grave for your little body!" Oopy said mockingly. "Sen and I expect at least twenty thousand gil, each. After all, you owe us a great debt for saving your life out there."

"My life," Vivel muttered. Putting together words helped him return to the realization that this wasn't a dream, and he could be in grave danger.

"Hello there, I'm Senuke," said the other Elvaan as he approached Vivel. Alarmed, Vivel jumped down from the bed and nearly collapsed on to the wooden floor. Senuke caught him in time and helped him to stand still.

"Don't worry," Senuke said calmly. "We aren't here to hurt you or anything. But I'm sure you want to know what has been going on. Let's go in to the living quarters and I can explain your situation."

Senuke led Vivel out of the one bed room marked "Guest" on the door and in to a large room with a fire burning in a fireplace. Senuke motioned for Vivel to sit on one of the chairs, and Vivel struggled to climb up to this Elvaan sized furniture. Once up, Senuke and Oopy took a seat in two other chairs. Oopy didn't seem interested in speaking, so Senuke started to talk again.

"Let me start by introducing myself further, and my partner here. This is Oopy and again I am Senuke." Oopy grunted and looked away, offended that he had to introduce himself to a Tarutaru. "We are couriers for The Kingdom of San d'Oria, which is where you currently are." Senuke paused for a moment to let Vivel soak that fact in. San d'Oria was far to the North of Bastok, a land Vivel never expected to travel to. He nodded his head for Senuke to go on, with crazy ideas racing through his head as to why he was there.

"So anyways, Oopy and I make deliveries in the name of San d'Oria, and we are also accomplished Monks, some of San d'Oria's finest soldiers if you don't mind me bragging. We were heading to the oasis town of Rabao, a place we frequently travel to. I think we were delivering vegetables that day. The Rabao citizens have a great demand for our La Theine cabbages and San d'Orian carrots. To reach Rabao, we usually head south through the Valkurm Dunes and Gustav tunnel to Cape Terrigan, where we use Kuftal Tunnel to reach The Western area of the Altepa Desert. After a logn walk east, we arrive at Rabao. This is where we found you, laying in the sands of the desert. At first we thought you were dead, but it turned out you were in a very deep coma of sorts. Immediately I took you back to San d'Oria while Oopy delivered our items. The best doctors in our kingdom examined you, and you were given the treatment to live. It was only a matter of time until you woke up. And now here we are, heh."

Suddenly, everything sank back in to Vivel's memory. The fierce battle with Titan. He had won, hadn't he. Then wandered out of the caves and collapsed in the desert? Could he really summon Titan now? Vivel comtemplated explaining himself to his rescuers, but quickly decided against it. They clearly wouldn't believe his story, and think he was crazy. But was he? Vivel's thoughts were interrupted by Oopy's harsh voice.

"You are to appear before Prince Ramyrez, as San d'Oria requests that you return our favor of saving your life. We will take you there right now, get going."

Vivel looked down and noticed he was wearing a change of clothing. He had loose brown slacks and a ragged old gi on. The clothes reeked of this new land, but were comfortable. Senuke nodded and motioned for Vivel to follow him out of their house. Vivel was swept away at his first sight. Everything was huge around him, Elvaan could be seen as far as the eye could go, of all shapes and sizes. There were beautiful extravagent structures towering in all directions of this fortress country. Everything was very orderly, Vivel could tell that these men were more disciplined than the Bastokans he was used to. Senuke and Oopy walked briskly ahead of him, as Vivel struggled to follow and take in his surroundings. The trees were green and well nourished, so lively compared to the dull bare plants in Bastok. Two elvaan youngsters ran up to Vivel and giggled silently, then turned and ran away. The well paved roads were foreign to Vivel, there was not the familiar dirt and gravel of his home land.

"So Ignatious taught you how to be a Samurai. What weapon do you use?" Oopy questioned demandingly.

"His Mumieto," Vivel timidly replied. "I've always used that one. He gave it to me the first day we trained together."

"Piece of junk, that old idiot won't ever change. He failed on me so he decided to try with a weaker student. Pathetic."

Vivel lowered his head, angry that Oopy was speaking about Ignatious in that tone. He immediately began to miss Ignatious, and wondered if he was going to see him again. At that moment he decided his number one priority would be to reunite with his friend, at any cost. The three soon approached the enormous castle. Vivel saw a beautiful fountain in front of it, and down more made out two large pillars and a structure that spanned longer than the entire Metalworks district. The whole structure was surrounded by a moat.

"You stay here, foreigners are not allowed to enter. Ramyrez will personally come out and greet you in a little bit," said Senuke. Vivel nodded his head dumbly and Senuke and Oopy confidentally advanced past the guards and in to the castle. Vivel paced around a bit, and then sat down staring in to the fountain. He considered trying to escape, unsure of his safety or fate in this land. He quicky decided against it, as he probably would end up getting lost. And finally, he had time to reflect on Caruncle and Titan. He wanted to believe that it wasn't true, but he felt both of their powers alive and real inside of him. Vivel egan mumbling to himself.

"I promised Carbuncle I would help him, but why am I doing this? My life was just fine before, and now I nearly died." Vivel's limbs still were stricken with pain as he continued to think. "But Carbuncle won't let me get killed. He protected me before, so for now I will find Ignatious first, then I promise I will do more of those trials..."

"Whoa! A real live Tarutaru! And in this place of everywhere else. Hey, are you sure you aren't just a stuffed animal?"

Startled, Vivel jumped up to look at who was speaking to him. To his astonishment, a Tarutaru stood in front of him. This fellow was slightly taller than Vivel, with dashing crimson red hair, and deep brown eyes. He carried a large Lance, and wore the common checker-patterned Brigandine armor that Vivel commonly knew from Bastok.

"I'm Hamza. From the Federation of Windurst. And from the looks of you, you're a taru-taru as well. Hmmm, I should recognize you then. What's your story, eh?

"Vivel, is my name," sputtered Vivel. This newcomer helped Vivel feel at ease, but he was still startled. He decided to give his spectator a distinguised greeting. "I'm a Samurai and a Black Mage from the Republic of Bastok, and am here waiting on orders from the King."

"Oh, big tough taru then," said Hamza with a silly smile. "Nice to see another little guy like me who knows how to use a weapon. I came here looking to train my Dragoon skills, yup, I'm a Dragoon."

Vivel knew of the Dragoons. They were a different type of fighter, relying on swift aerial attacks with their heavy spears and lances. Also, most dragoons traveled with a wyvern by their side. Vivel looked to the sides of Hamza for the indication of his pet.

"Duke is back at home in Windy, he's my little dragon buddy" said Hamza, still smiling. "He's probably curled up on my bed right now, but ah well. These damn Elvaan don't want to train with me, so I think 'I'll be heading back to Windurst now anyways. I was just heading to the airship docks."

Suddenly, Vivel did not want to be seperated from Hamza. His new friend comforted him and didn't intimidate him like the Elvaan did.

"Wait, Hamzo," muttered Vivel.

"Hamza..." said Hamza, with an open smile.

"Sorry! Hamza!" Vivel said, growing red with embarassment. "Will you stay a while with me, I, uh, came here looking for training too. We can train together, how about it?"

"Bastoker toughie Samurai wants to train with the Hamza, eh?" smirked Hamza, obviously excited at this proposal. His next line was interrupted by the great crash of the drawbridge opening from the castle. As it lowered, Senuke and Oopy exited. Soon, Prince Ramyrez and 3 guards to each of his sides followed. The immense entrance was enough to make Vivel feel like Ramyrez was on top of the world. And to think he had helped defeat this god only a week earlier.

"Stand up!" shouted Oopy to Vivel and Hamza, who were casually looking on as Ramyrez approached them. Getting a better look, Ramyrez was wearing gold plated armor, armor unlike anything the Bastokan goldsmiths could create.

"It's all right. We must be tolerant of those who cannot understand our way of life, Oopy," motioned Ramyrez, in an almost disgusted manner. Hamza jumped up and saluted Ramyrez mockingly.

"Oh, don't get your subligar all in a bunch, Rambo," said Hamza laughing. Ramyrez stared in disbelief at Hamza and quickly turned his attention to Vivel.

"Bastok's famous Tarutaru. Good to see you have your strength back, because you will need it. As you know, you owe a great debt to our fair Kingdom. And paying it off will be simple, you are to be a temporary recruit to the San d'Orian military."

"I'm really not much of a fighter, I'm still learning," Vivel said with a fearful tone.

"Nonsense, this mission will be very easy. You see, there are vile race of beastmen known as the Gigas. They are ugly large creatures that lack intelligence or battle knowledge," explained Ramyrez, walking towards the fountain and looking in to it, as if there was a picture of the Gigas in the spraying water. "These creatures live to the North of us, and are very protective of their territory. A week before the Bastok-San d'Oria Ballista, an exploration of the ancient ruins known as Fei Yin was authorized. In the basement of these ruins, our team found an amazing sight. It was a giant light blue crystal that gleamed with such beauty it floated above the ground. It also was extraordinarily cold, and our researchers took the marvel back here to San d'Oria, where it currently lies. This apparently has upset the Gigas warriors, and there have been reports that they are coming to attack San d'Oria right now."

"How about you geniuses give them back their shiny thing, case closed," remarked Hamza. Oopy glared at Hamza with hatred, but Ramyrez laughed and motioned for Oopy to stand down.

"You wouldn't understand, but that crystal is valuable to us, and we won't give in to the bloodthirsty Gigas. However, we don't want to declare a full scale war, so we planned on just having Oopy and Senuke clean up the "trash," if you don't mind my expression. I simply ask that you accompany them and defeat the advancing Gigas forces. You will intercept them in North-Eastern Ronfaure, Vivel. I have learned that you trained as a Samurai, so we will provide you with the proper battle attire. Please come with me so we can prepare you," motioned Ramyrez. He started towards a house to the South-East of the fountain, and Vivel followed him without question.

"What if Viv dies out there?" asked Hamza to Ramyrez.

"The gigas fighters are very unskilled, it's more hard work than anything. And for your constant annoyances, outsider, you will accompany these three. Now all of you come with me!"


	7. Earthen Fury

Chapter 6- Earthen Fury

The crisp Ronfaure air seemed too calming for anyone to do battle in. Oopy and Senuke proudly marched to the North, while Vivel and Hamza trailed behind. Vivel was dressed in a suit of Royal Squire's armor, heavy chainmail covered by crimson red cloth. He was given a Kagehide Great Katana, a powerful blade that Vivel found was easy to hold. This was provided by Ramyrez, the models originally designed for Elvaan children. A lot of his fear was dissolved thanks to his new attire. And Oopy's confident manner made it seem impossible to suffer defeat. As they continued walking, the trees became more abundant, and Vivel noticed wildlife he had never seen before, like weaker types of the dreaded Orc beastmen. In the prescense of his Elvaan comrades, the Orcs did not attempt making an attack. In a surprisingly short time, they arrived at a large opening, the cave through which the Gigas were supposed to come out of.

"The Gigas should arrive in 10 minutes according to the spy report by our royal army," said Senuke back at the two Tarutaru. "I don't know how much battle experience you have, but stay close to me in case you get in any trouble. This shouldn't take very long at all, no upper ranked Gigas are coming towards us."

"Senuke, we start boosting now. We should be able to kill a majority of them when they arrive with our Chi Blast," Oopy said, staring in to the cave. Senuke nodded, and the two clenched their fists. Vivel noticed the ground begin to lightly rumble, and the rocks laying on the surface stirred. The movement quickly centered itself on the two monks, and in a burst of what looked like purple electricity, Senuke and Oopy began their boosting. The sparks dances around their bodies, very similar to Vivel's summoning spell.

"What's going on?" Vivel asked. He had seen monks boost before, but never at this magnitude and for this length.

"An old Monk trick," Hamza replied. "They're going to hold their power increase until the Gigas arrive, and then unleash a devastating Chi Blast. We may not even get our chance to fight after all."

Vivel was excited at this news, although he tried to seem disappointed in order to please Hamza. Senuke and Oopy continued boosting, obviously under physical stress. This continued for several minutes, while Vivel and Hamza sternly looked on.

"I hope we don't die out here," said Hamza bluntly.

"Die?" gasped Vivel. "I thought we may not even get a chance to fight!"

"Well, I gave it more thought. One thing I have learned is never to understimate your opponent. The Elvaan are famous for doing just that, and something tells me that the Gigas aren't so dull that they would send out a force two smelly Monks could overcome."

"Let's stick together then, and protect each other. Hopefully nothing bad will happen though."

"Sounds good to me, Vivel. Before this begins, mind telling me how the Hell you're a Tarutaru from Bastok. And also what you made you want to get to San d'Oria? You said orders from the King, but I doubt Ramyrez would call a Bastokan Tarutaru all the way to Sandyland just to fight a little battle."

"Well," Vivel started. "I've lived in Bastok as long as I can remember, but I was born in the Federation. Senuke and Oopy saved my life when I was out... exploring the Altepa Desert. This is my way to repay them I guess. I really just want to get back to Bastok and see my friend."

"Tell you what, if we survive this, I'll head to Bastok sometime and visit you," Hamza said with a smile. Vivel nodded, temporarily forgetting his position. It quickly returned to him, however when a new rumbling sound emerged. As promised, it was coming right from the cave. Oopy and Senuke stopped boosting, and held their hands outwards, ready to deliver their Chi Blast.

"I hope they like the welcoming crew," shouted Hamza grinning. Vivel also felt confidence that Senuke and Oopy would finish this quickly. The rumbling grew louder and nearer, and Vivel saw Hamza draw his sharp lance, ready to attack. Vivel pulled out his Great Katana also and held it in front of him. And then, the first one emerged. It was a horrifying sight, the Gigas warrior stood as tall as two galkas, and as wide as two also. It had rough green skin and a menacing bald head. Something out of a horrible nightmare, it carried a spiked club and wore mere rags as clothing. It roared and three similar monsters came out behind it. Then five more, and soon there were at least fifteen. Vivel immediately grew limp and noticed Hamza gasp in fear.

"Full power! Get them now!" Oopy demanded, and an enourmous fan of light shot out from his palms. The force sent Vivel and Hamza stumbling back, and the light devoured all of the Gigas in sight. He heard the defeaning roars of the beastmen as they were engulfed by Oopy's attack. When Vivel's vision returned, he saw a few remaining monsters on the ground at the cave's mouth in a bloody heap. Soon after, another wave swept in, and Senuke took care of them as Oopy had done. His attack was not quite as powerful Vivel sensed, but still defeated every Gigas in sight. The four comrades stood in silence for sveral moments, while the rumble of the next shipment of Beastmen grew nearer.

"Pretty impressive shot there, you guys obviously aren't new at this," said Hamza. "So you keep rotating your moves like that until every wave is dead then, eh?"

"No," Oopy responded, looking ahead. "We cannot fire Chi Blast rapidly, the ability puts a strain on our body and we need to wait. The rest of the monsters will be dispatched of by our fists."

"Well, my lance and Vivel's katana will help too, don't forget about that," said Hamza, reaching for his weapon.

"There is no need for you anymore, Senuke and I will finish this. Now get out of our way."

Hamza blinked, and placed his lance back strapped behind his back. He stepped away from the two Elvaan and Vivel quickly followed him. The next wave had arrived, these fighters even taller than the last. Two had spiked clubs, One was holding a boulder, and the remaining two looked like martial artists. Five of them in all, they started towards Oopy and Senuke. The two monks quickly boosted, and then bolted towards their foes. Vivel gasped as he and Hamza watched the two elvaan take on five menacing beastmen.

Oopy mercilessly punched the front one in its torso, followed by a fierce uppercut. The monster stumbled backwards, and Oopy swung his left foot out in to the knee of his injured adversary. It howled in pain and stumbled to the ground. Now two Gigas were looming over Oopy and two were fixed on Senuke.

"Amazing, one round of attacks and it dropped dead," Hamza remarked. "Why is it the jerks who always get so strong?"

"At least he's on our side," Vivel replied happily. "To be honest I was really nervous about fighting these guys."

Senuke approached his enemies more conservatively than Oopy. He obviously was not as confident as his partner about his fighting ability. One lunged and brought its club crashing down over Senuke. The Elvaan quickly grabbed it with one hand, and with his right hand launced a punch in to the Beastman's stomach. It coughed and sputtered blood, while its comrade sent another club down on Senuke. Senuke grabbed it with his right hand. He struggled to stop it from crashing on him, while the other Gigas regained its fighting stance and tightened its force on its own club. Both hands full, Senuke concentrated hard, knowing if he let either weapon hit him it could mean his destruction.

Oopy faced a hand-to-hand using and boulder-wielding Gigas. The Monk Beastman sent a punch, which Oopy easily dodged. However, this gave the other Gigas a chance to hurl his large rock at Oopy's body. Oopy quickly responded and shielded his face with his arms. The rock hit his arms and shattered, leaving red cuts and burns on his prized hands. Immune to the pain, he lunged at both Gigas and began to attack them. Senuke was not having as much luck, and steadily fell to his knees while holding the clubs.

"They shouldn't be this strong..." he muttered. The beastmen howled with laughter as they brought Senuke closer and closer to giving up.

"That's our cue, Vivel." said Hamza, grabbing his lance and holding it in attack position. Vivel just then realized how large the weapon was, and sharp the tip was. "You help Oopy and I will lend a hand to Sen." he said, lightly jumping up and down. Vivel tensed up and reached for his Great Katana with a shaking hand. Not again, he thought to himself.

Hamza stopped jumping for a moment, and crouched down, concentrating hard. In a flash he lept in to the air, driving his heavy lance in front of him. Amazingly, he reached the height of the giant Ronfaure trees before he began to drive his weapon down. Vivel stood watching as he let his weapon guide him right overhead one of the Beastmen assaulting Senuke. The Gigas had no time to react as Hamza drove his lance in to its left shoulderblade. It shrieked a piercing cry and let go of its club. Vivel cringed at the sound of this, and forgot about helping Oopy entirely. Senuke was now able to focus his entire strength on one club, and with a grunt was able to rip it out of the hands of his opponent and toss it aside. Hamza pulled his weapon out of the monster's shoulder, erupting another scream, and jumped down to Senuke's side.

"Thanks for the help, I really owe you one there," said Senuke panting. Hamza grinned and looked on at the two stunned and weakened Gigas. "Let's clean up," he said.

Oopy was relentlessly attacking his two foes. With a flurry of punches and kicks, they both fell just as the first one did, and as one began to rise again Oopy drove his foot in to its neck, killing it. Hamza drove his polearm in to the Gigas he had already damaged, and while it struggled to remove to weapon from it's body, it slowly fell and gave up. Senuke swiftly tripped the final remining Beastman out from under its feet, and punched it directly in the skull while it was in the air. The final enemy fell, and the fighters stood, tired out.

"Those weren't so bad at all," Senuke shouted out. "Only three waves were reported, we can head back to San d'Oria now."

"Pity you needed help from that little cretin," said Oopy scowling. Senuke frowned, but did not respond.

"We're in this together so you may as well face it," Hamza replied angrily. Much to their horror, their victory was short lived. The rumbling sound came again, and before they had time to rest, seven more Gigas emerged.

"No!" shouted Oopy. "We should have killed them all already. Gigas of this rank were not supposed to appear!" With a roar he shot a Chi Blast at the Gigas, but it was of no use. The attack stunned the beastmen, but did not damage them. These monsters had white skin, and strange markings around their bodies. Vivel could tell they were much stronger. Two of them ran for Oopy while the other five advanced on Senuke and Hamza. Oopy furiously boosted and dashed towards them. These enemies were much faster, and one grabbed Oopy by his head to stop him while the other struck his side with its club. Oopy cried out and then furiously struck back, hitting each Gigas with a fist, and knocking them back. These fighters did not fall so easily however, and continued to assault Oopy.

Hamza backed up a little, terrified at the five giant creatures approaching. Senuke gritted his teeth and stood back a bit also. The Gigas seperated and two advanced on Senuke while three looked on at Hamza.

"Damn it!" Hamza cried as he inched back further. Senuke finally began attacking, and matched the two Gigas blow for blow. The three remaining Gigas circled around Hamza, blocking any way of escape. The scared Tarutaru stood facing one in fear, and quickly drove his lance forward at it. Before he could follow through with the attack, a club cracked over his skull and swiftly sent him to the ground. The three Beastmen then began attacking him, and Vivel could no longer see the action. He wanted desperately to help his new friend, but still could barely move in his fear.

"Help him!" Vivel shouted to Senuke, who was struggling to protect himself as it was. Senuke looked at where Hamza was, and quickly ran towards him, ignoring his two enemies. He grabbed one of the Gigas attacking Hamza by its skull and furiously ripped its body off of his weakened friend. The others turned towards Senuke, and Hamza got up in a daze.

"You're OK, I've got you," said Senuke to Hamza. Hamza smiled faintly, but at that moment the Gigas Senuke had left behind struck him in his back. He turned to face them, while the three others turned back towards Hamza. Hamza crouched down again as he did before, this time even lower. And in a flash he lept in to the air, astonishingly much higher than he had last time. The Gigas stood dumbfounded, until they fixed their sights on Vivel. With a battle cry, the three charged towards him. Hamza descended to the ground next to Vivel, and the two quickly conversed as their enemies approached.

"You can't be afraid, Viv. We just need to fight," Hamza said, unaware of his chances to win. Vivel looked at him and saw he was bleeding from the side of his head. His armor was torn and he looked weary. With a sudden burst of anger, Vivel ran towards a weaponless Gigas and swung his Katana at it. The monster stopped it with one arm, and pushed the blade back. Hamza took on the other two, and swiftly began jabbing his spear at them. He nimbly jumped out of the way when one of them swung at him with his club.

Oopy had managed to kill one of them while suffering a crippling blow to his leg, and Senuke was still struggling against two. Hamza lunged at one of the Gigas's legs and drove his lance in to it. His face twisted as he puhed it harder and harder, and eventually drove it through the entire leg. The Gigas howled and Hamza stood with a grin for a moment. However, he could not retrieve his weapon from the monster, and stood offenseless as the other Gigas struck him down and began attacking. Vivel suffered a blow to his head which sent him flying back and in to the Ronfaure grass, next to a wild rabbit. He heard the Gigas advancing, taking pleasure in this game.

He was quickly reminded of the ballista match where the unknown Elvaan had put him in this same position, and remembered the rainbow he saw. Then he remembered. Carbuncle! He could use his Summoning Magic. The rabbit began sniffing Vivel's face, and hopped up and down at the sight of the injured Tarutaru. Vivel now knew he had summon to win, and with the drive to save Hamza, stood to his feet, with the rabbit now cheering. The Gigas was there to greet him, and brought its giant foot down in a stomp, killing the forest rabbit. Vivel ignored this and quickly began to search for the Carbuncle power he had used before. He then felt a new aura, the power of Titan. Of course! he said to himself. He looked on at the Gigas and quickly began preforming the Summoning stance. The Beastman looked on at him, amused, and luckily did not attack for the moment. Vivel felt the energy trickle around his body, and as before it soon became physically visible. Titan put a larger strain on him than Carbuncle did, but Vivel knew he would end it quickly with his Astral Flow technique.

The circle appeared beside him, and the Gigas jumped back in shock. Rocks began to ascend from the circle as Titan emerged, exactly as Vivel remembered him. This time however, he was on the Summoner's side. Looking overhead, Senuke and Oopy were still fighting, with five Gigas still standing.

"Hey you guys!" Vivel cried. Come over here! And hurry!" Senuke, Oopy, and the Beastmen looked over at Vivel, the Gigas, and Titan.

"A new enemy!" said Senuke. "Let's go help him!"

"You imbecile!" Oopy yelled back. "We're going to die out here, and you are concerned about that rodent? Damn Paladins never change!"

Senuke picked up an unconscious Hamza in one arm, and grabbed Oopy with the other. They ran towards Vivel, with all of the Beastmen on their trail. Vivel knew this was his only chance, and quickly called upon Astral Flow. All of the summoning energy he had stored inside of him flowed to his arms in yellow beams, and he clenched his fists to harness the power. Senuke arrived and punched at Titan, but his arm went right through the avatar and he fell forward with Hamza. Oopy threw a punch next, but also went directly through Titan and landed behind him. Vivel ignored them, and quickly took control of Titan.

"Go, go! Earthen Fury now, just like you did to me!" Titan immediately responded and glowed for a moment. All six Gigas were now right in front of the Summoner and his pet. Oopy sensed danger and grabbed Senuke's arm.

"Hit the dirt!" he yelled and dove to the ground away from the action. Senuke shielded Hamza's limp body with his own.

Titan drove both of his hands in to the earth, in an attack that rumbled throughout the Kingdom. There was silence for a split second, and then the ground violently erupted in a flurry of jagged earth that devoured the beastmen. The earthquake continued as it tore the Gigas to nothing, while Titan grabbed Vivel to keep him from being hurt.


	8. Leaving Again

Chapter 7- Leaving Again

The events following Titan's ability were all a blur to Vivel. He remembered Titan disappearing and seeing many Elvaan running towards him. His next memory was of him laying in a bed in the San d'Orian hospital. He heard voices here and there but couldn't grasp what was being said. He dreamed a lot also, always about being cold. He learned from Senuke later that he had been badly injured in battle, and did not become fully awake until the next Windsday, four days later. The two of them conversed at the fountain with Hamza there also. Vivel shared a bench with Hamza and Senuke stood next to the fountain, letting the mist hit his battle-weary face.

"So, tell me again. What do you remember happening?" Vivel asked Senuke.

"We saw the giant creature destroy all of the Gigas, and then there was a calm. We do not know what this monster was, but he saved all of us. It vanished after its attack, and soon after Ramyrez and his guards found us. All four of us were critically hurt, and immediately given hospitalization. Vivel, seeing how you had just recovered from another life-threatening injury, many of us feared you wouldn't make it through this one. Oopy and I regained our strength overnight. Hamza took another day, and two mornings later you awoke. Prince Ramyrez wants to speak with you about our unknown savior, he should be arriving here soon. He was in South San d'Oria dealing with some other matters."

Vivel sighed and looked over at Hamza. He was staring in to the fountain, still wearing his torn Brigandine suit. Vivel was dressed in the Gi he had awoke in when he first arrived at San d'Oria. Senuke was not wearing his Monk attire, but rather the common blue jerkin that Elvaan wore around the Kingdom. For some reason, Vivel felt sorry for his two friends. Even though he knew now he had saved their lives, he felt guilty for watching them get hurt while he was too scared to attack.

"So where's Oopy?" Hamza asked blandly. Senuke frowned and turned away, shifting his feet to the side.

"Oopy is angry with me," he replied. "I haven't been totally honest with you from the start, Vivel. I am not an accomplished Monk, I am a Paladin. Oopy… used to make his journeys alone for San d'Oria. This was several years ago, when he was still new to the Monk arts. I was with the Royal Army doing a battle exercise in Jugner Forest when several Orcs came in and took me prisoner. Oopy came alone and rescued me, killing all of the Orc guards with an amazing ability he called Hundred Fists." Senuke paused for a moment, reflecting on the earlier times. Vivel was paying attention, with Hamza's mind drifting off. "The Hundred Fists was a flurry of limitless punches and kicks, I was amazed by the strength and speed of this move. Upon rescuing me, I was in debt to him for life, and all he asked was that I joined him and trained under the way of the Monk."

"But you didn't want to. You wanted to be a Paladin, didn't you?" said Hamza suddenly listening to the story.

"Yes and no," said Senuke staring directly at Hamza. "I was fascinated by this power for sure, but my nature is not the same as Oopy's. He desires power only, but being Monk has some key weaknesses. I realized that when I was unable to save you against the Gigas. I couldn't stand watching others get hurt, and were it not for the strange rock creature, we surely would have perished. Perhaps had I been a Paladin some of you would have been spared. So I made up my mind that I would return to training as a Paladin, and Oopy is not very happy about this."

Vivel suddenly shivered, it now hit him as to how cold San d'Oria was. Strangely enough, the Summer days were approaching, and even the North should experience warm temperatures during this time, he thought. He also felt even worse for Senuke now, knowing he was betrayed by who was probably his only friend. Hamza began to talk.

"I know where you're coming from, Sen. Being a Tarutaru fighter is not looked highly upon in Windurst at all. We are all encouraged to take up Black, White, or Red Magic. In fact, it's required that we receive basic training." Hamza waved his hand and was able to move some rocks by his foot in to the fountain, showing he had a grasp on Black Magic. "But it wasn't in me, casting magic was never something I enjoyed. I researched the other options and did a lot of traveling. I learned of Dragoon along my travels, and immediately obtained a wyvern egg to hatch Duke, and began training myself alone with the lance. The Windurstians mock me still, saying that all my work could be surpassed in a single spell. I know I'll become the best though, and Duke and I will end this intolerant attitude."

Vivel now realized how lucky he was, seeing the conditions his companions faced. In Bastok, he was free to do as he wanted, and derived a certain amount of respect from his neighbors. Ignatious didn't force him to be a Samurai, and to think he had left his safe sheltered setting for this: near death experiences and run-ins with gods. He had to thank Titan for saving his and his friends lives, though. He decided it was time to come clean about being a Summoner. Maybe he could show them that he really did help them out in battle.

"Don't look now, but here comes the hot-shot," said Hamza sarcastically, as Ramyrez and his guards approached in a similar fashion as they has three days earlier, except from a different direction. The guards divided and said nothing, as Ramyrez walked towards Vivel, ignoring Hamza and Senuke.

"I've been over the details of what had happened against the Gigas warriors, and I apologize for sending you in there to fight, Tarutaru." said Ramyrez proudly. Vivel was glad at this humane treatment from Ramyrez, but was soon proven wrong. "Had we known you were such a pathetic fighter, we would not have wasted our time dressing you for battle. The same goes for you, Dragoon," he said with a glare towards Hamza. The two Tarutaru looked at each other, while Vivel slouched his shoulders and Hamza's face reddened. "However," started Ramyrez. "The mysterious beast that destroyed the Gigas seems to have been in contact with you… Vivel," he said, forcing the name out as if it pained him to address the Tarutaru. "I will require you to tell me everything you know about this fighter, and right now before you forget a detail."

Vivel did not fully want to explain himself in this way. But under the premise that he might get recognition for saving them, he decided to tell the full truth.

"Well, Ramyrez," started Vivel.

"Prince Ramyrez," the Prince corrected sharply.

"Right, sorry Mr. Prince," said Vivel shyly. Hamza chuckled lightly. "The monster you are thinking of is named Titan. And he was under my control." Ramyrez, Senuke, and Hamza all looked shocked, as Hamza stared at Vivel widely and Senuke fell backwards a bit. Ramyrez stared deeply in to Vivel and said, "You never told us that you were a Beastmaster."

"I'm not," corrected Vivel calmly. "See, I'm what is called a Summoner I believe." There was even more shock this time, Ramyrez gasped now while Senuke and Hamza looked even more confused. Now that it was out in the open, Vivel decided to tell the story in its entirety. Although Ramyrez was not his most desired audience, he just wanted the others to understand him. Ramyrez cut him off before he could speak again.

"Summoning Magic was banned many years ago by the Grand Duchy of Jeuno and the Federation of Windurst. How were you able to do this?" Ramyrez interrogated sharply.

"It started at the Ballista." Vivel said, attempting to summarize everything briefly. "I met this Avatar named Carbuncle, who told me to go on these trials. I traveled to the Quicksand Caves and with Carbuncle defeated Titan in battle. Then I woke up here in San d'Oria and then had Titan's power too, so I used him to destroy the Gigas." he breathed heavily after saying all of that at once. The others started at him, confused, until Ramyrez spoke up.

"I won't pretend to understand the devil magic of summoning, foreigner," he said accusingly, obviously dumbfounded by the claim. "And taking credit for something you didn't do is very unbecoming of a person like yourself. You are not a Summoner, you are trying to fool me."

Vivel didn't know what to respond with. He wasn't about to disagree with the Prince of the land he was in. He looked down and away from the booming presence of Ramyrez. Hamza spoke up.

"He can't be lying, Ramyrez. There's no other logical explanation, monsters looking like that down just crawl out of the ground. You just don't want to admit that this "weak" Tarutaru saved the behinds of your two best men."

"Enough out of you, you little insect!" Ramyrez shouted at Hamza. "The day I get treated with such disrespect by you mere paupers is the fall of my Kingdom!" He turned to Vivel, fuming. "All right, Mr. Summoner. If you can use that sort of magic then show me right now! Go ahead, summon up a creature for me to see!"

Vivel took a deep breath, and reached for Titan's power, not ready to disobey this angry Elvaan. Sure enough, he began to slowly summon Titan, while Ramyrez, Senuke, and Hamza looked on with deep interest. Vivel closed his eyes and concentrated on Titan's energy, he felt the sparks around him now and knew at any moment his avatar would appear. This continued for several moments, and then the energy stopped.

Ramyrez grinned victoriously. "Fancy light shows won't fool me, you forget who you are dealing with, you-" his line was cut short as Vivel completed his summoning. The brown circle appeared in front of the Summoner while Titan emerged from it, staring Ramyrez directly in the face. The Prince started at Titan in fear, and quickly regained his composure and looked at Vivel.

"That's him!" Senuke shouted, amazed. "That is the thing that destroyed the Gigas, I'm sure of it!" Titan turned around, causing Senuke and Hamza to flinch. He walked towards Vivel and stopped, staring in to his controller's eyes. Ramyrez revealed that he had his hand on his sword handle, as if ready to fight. He let go of it and spoke.

"That will be enough," said Ramyrez coolly, looking at the rock hard skin of Titan. "Dismiss your pet, you have proven me wrong." Vivel blinked, realizing he did not know how to release an avatar. He looked over at Hamza, who shrugged.

"It seems you didn't hear me. Release your monster at once!" Ramyrez demanded. Vivel, looking scared, spoke to Titan.

"Please Titan, go away now. I'm done with you for now," he said timidly. Titan seemed to understand Vivel's request and immediately dissolved in to the ground he had appeared in, leaving an empty space between the four witnesses of Titan.

Hamza spoke first. "It looks like Vivel really did save us all!" he said triumphantly. Vivel smiled a little and felt his cheeks turn red with embarrassment. Ramyrez was deep in thought. He ran his fingers through his short white beard and glared at Vivel disapprovingly. Senuke looked at his Tarutaru friend with concern, knowing Ramyrez had something planned.

"So you are the fool who destroyed our land," he announced, pointing at Vivel. "That attack by the monster that you have proven you control destroyed a large amount of the sacred Ronfaure forest. You destroyed trees older than my Great-Grandfather, all to try and show off your pathetic power. You should be given a fierce punishment."

"Prince Ramyrez, you cannot be serious," Senuke said. "You know that had the Gigas defeated us, they would have caused far more damage and possibly invaded the Kingdom. Vivel is a hero, not an enemy."

"Senuke, do not cross me." Ramyrez demanded.

"I do not cross you, but I will defend my comrade. Vivel saved our Kingdom and a few dead trees is a small price to pay!"

Vivel was surprised by Senuke's act of defiance, and recognized him as a real friend. Perhaps some Elvaan were good, he thought. Hamza looked too frightened to say anything. Ramyrez twisted his stern mouth to a frown, and began silently grinding his teeth.

"But under further quick review," he said, I will allow you to get off easy again, Summoner. Whether you knew or not, we are preparing for the annual event of Summerfest." Vivel remembered Summerfest from Bastok. When he was younger, Ignatious would always take him to the top of Vomp Hill in Gustaberg to view the fireworks that were authorized to be shot off. Ignatious would point far to the Southwest where Vivel could faintly see the fireworks going off over Rabao. There would be events planned during the week, such as goldfish-scooping. Booths were set up where one could try his luck to scoop out goldfish. Because of his size, Vivel used to have to be held by one of the Galka in order to see in to the water where the fish swam.

"As you may have noticed by now, it is far too cold to continue with this year's festival," continued Ramyrez, interrupting Vivel's recollection. "We have traced the problem to that damned crystal that we acquired from the Northlands. The crystal must be disposed of. Luckily, some merchants in Rabao are interested in purchasing it from us at a large price. Vivel, you will be returning to Bastok in any event, so you are to bring the crystal with you and drop it off to Rabao along the way. And then, I never want to see you in San d'Oria again."

Vivel was not at all angered by this demand. He was planning on returning to Bastok, so this would only be a minor detour.

"I'll go with him, then," said Hamza firmly. He turned to Vivel. "Looks like we can make our trip to Bastok after all. I got some training in yesterday, but this place just isn't worth it."

Ramyrez stayed calm surprisingly. "So be it, I would rather rid my Kingdom of you devils than baby-sit any longer." Oopy approached at that moment. He had white bandages wrapped around his hands, but bore that same powerful gait that he had showed against the Gigas. It occurred to Vivel that he had been there the whole time, listening in the background. Senuke looked away from him in humiliation.

"With all respect, my Lord," Oopy said to Ramyrez, "I do not see it wise to entrust such an expensive relic to these two weaklings. They are not to be trusted, and may fail the mission or even try to steal it."

"That is a possibility, Oopy. Therefore, I see it in our best interest that you accompany them in this case. I want them out of my country regardless, so we can at least make them do a little work. I assume Senuke will be going also?" Ramyrez asked.

"No," Oopy said resentfully. "There is no need for a Paladin for this type of mission. I will do this alone."

"But you guys are friends," Hamza said, looking over at Senuke. "Who cares what job class you are, right?"

"I don't want any conflict during the travel," interrupted Ramyrez. "Oopy, you will go with the Tarutaru." Hamza shrugged and looked over at Vivel, who showed a weak smile. Being with Hamza would at least give him a friend to talk to, and Oopy could protect them. And of course, he would finally see Ignatious again.

"Good luck," said Senuke to Vivel and Hamza. "And don't worry about Oopy", he whispered to Hamza. "He will come around eventually."

Ramyrez called one of his guards over, who gave him a small white pearl. Vivel recognized this as a link pearl, a system used to communicate between groups of people. Ignatious had purchased two pearls once to use with Vivel while mining, but Vivel had lost his in the mines, and they never bothered trying to get another one.

Ramyrez spoke softly in to his pearl, "Load the crystal on to my airship, I am bringing three now who will deliver it. Yes, immediately. We will meet you there."


	9. Trial by Ice

Chapter 8- Trial By Ice

Port San d'Oria was unlike the rest of the kingdom. It had a lower population, and Vivel saw several Humes, Tarutaru, and the cat-like Mithra conversing with Elvaan. It seemed detached from the real San d'Oria, but in a good way. Oopy had arrived from his home after gathering a few of his belongings. According to him, the Airship was not suited to land in Rabao, so they needed to get off on a plateau a decent way West from the town, and walk the remaining way. Hamza had paid for a new set of armor, the same checkered Brigandine style. Vivel had lost all of his belongings after his battle with Titan, but was allowed to keep his current attire and the Kagehide Great Katana. Oopy had his orange gi on complete with matching hose and gaiters. His arms were still wrapped in cloth, healing from the Gigas assault. Oopy, Vivel,and Hamza approached the docks, where an Elvaan in a blue robe guided them to the airship.

This airship was unlike the larger models that frequented Bastok. Still large however, this flying boat elegantly rested in the waters of the port, with a small bridge reaching out to the dock. The ship was painted crimson red with the two-lion San d'Oria symbol on both sides.

"Right this way, we will be departing shortly. Ramyrez wishes for this to be a hasty journey. Our airship will make it to Altepa in only a few hours," said the guide Elvaan. Oopy walked in confidentally, showing that he had made this trip many times. He paused suddenly, sharply turning around.

"Where is the crystal?" he asked in a single breath.

"We have it in the storage room. It has been strapped down because of it's tendancy to... hover. Now please Oopy, let's get going. I'm sure that you know about the dangers of this particular trip," said the Elvaan, frowning.

"There is no danger. Let's get this damn thing moving," Oopy snapped. "You two, come to the lobby now," he said nodding to Hamza and Vivel. The two Tarutaru followed without question on to the ship. Taking the first left they entered a large rectangular room. The floor shined golden and there was a map of the known world on the back wall. Looking at it, Vivel saw flight routes marked. There were routes to Selbina, Jeuno, Bastok, Windurst, Norg, Kazham, and other areas Vivel could not identify. He saw a line going to a spot West of Rabao, and assumed that would be their destination.

Hamza came up behind Vivel and poked the Windurst part of the map with his Polearm. "That's where Duke is," he said with a grin. "He's probably waiting for me right now, wondering where I am. Oh, well guess he has to wait longer!" Oopy then approached and furiously grabbed the lance from Hamza's arms, driving it in to the floor in a rage, breaking the tip and cracking the floor.

"You idiot!" Oopy boomed. "Defacing property of our Kingdom. I should kill you right now!"

"Well, uh, you kinda just damaged the property yourself there, mister," said Hamza, poitning at the floor. Oopy clenched his fists, fuming, as if he really was going to attack. At that moment two tall Elvaan men entered, together holding a brown leather bag with something concealed inside of it.

"Leave it here!" shouted Oopy motioning for the men to put the bag down and follow him out of the lobby. He turned to Vivel. "Make sure that damned devil crystal doesn't move around, or the both of you will be killed without question." Vivel nodded dumbly. "Let's get moving, lock these two fools in. I don't want anything in or out of this room until we land in Altepa." demanded Oopy. He proudly marched out, while the two other Elvaan hastily followed him and closed the doors to the lobby locking them.

"That jerk!" shouted Hamza, red with anger. "After you saved us too!" he said to Vivel.

"Nah, I didn't save you, Titan did," said Vivel sulking. "I just sat there like a child."

"Viv," said Hamza consolingly. "You're too modest. See, I'm not good at things, but I tell myself that I am. I think you're just the opposite though." Vivel smiled to show his gratitude. He wished he could think of something nice to say to Hamza. He noticed that with the prescense of the item they were looking after, the room was much colder.

With that, there was a rumbling and Vivel stumbled to the floor. "We're taking off, wow this thing is fast," said Hamza looking at the ceiling, as if it told him something. The rumbling stopped and the ship became calm again. "Soon we'll be able to ditch these losers and go have some more adventures. But hey, let's take a look a the crystal," the Dragoon said with glee.

"No!" protested Vivel, as Hamza walked over to open the leather bag. "Oopy said he would hurt us, don't do it," he pleaded.

"Just a little peek," said Hamza. He unlatched the bag and stepped away. "Man that thing is ice cold." he said laughing. To both of their amazement, the crystal began to unveil itself independently, and floated out of the bag and slightly over the floor. Vivel immediately recognized this as a protocrystal, exactly like Titan's except it was crystal clear, rather than brown.

"I know what that is!" said Vivel hysterically. "It's an avatar crystal, that's where I met Titan!"

"Oh, really?" said Hamza, intrigued. "Well let's go say Hi, and thank him for helping us."

"Oh, well it wasn't that one exactly," corrected Vivel. "It was a different color, but the same exact shape. I somehow went inside it and beat Titan in a battle, so he let me summon him."

Hamza suddenly beamed with excitement, emitting frost from his breath. "That means there's a new guy inside that thing!" he shouted triumphantly. "So go in there and beat him up, I bet you'll get an ice-man!"

"But, what if I lose?" Vivel said timidly, knowing he had no choice in the matter.

"No way!" said Hamza. "Just do your big bad attack like before and you'll be back before I know you are gone. Unless you want me to go in with you?"

"I think only I can go in, and I made a promise to Carbuncle about it, so I guess I have to. Although I really wouldn't like to..."

"Hey, said Hamza seriously. "You will only lose if you choose to. You gotta create your own reality, not let others mold it for you. This is all your pick."

Vivel nodded, although he didn't believe it. Turning towards the glimmering protocrystal, he began to concentrate hard, remembering what he had done for Titan. Soon, he felt the tug on his body just like before, except faster. In the back of his mind he heard Hamza cheering in awe, but that quickly faded away. He then involuntarily closed his eyes, and then opened them inside the Avatar World.

It was set up exactly like Titan's, except there was an icy blue surrounding and ground. He also noticed that snow was lightly falling. In Bastok, it had only snowed once in his lifetime. He remembered running outside to see it, and only witnessing it turn to rain. Gloomily, he had returned inside.

There was a calm tone in the place, but Vivel could feel the Avatar with him. Looking up the winding slope, he decided to call Titan for his battle, and be ready to attack right away. Quickly, Titan emerged, with snow building on his broad shoulders. Vivel felt the strain of calling him, especially with his heavy chainmail armor on, so he quickly moved towards the main protocrystal. There was the same turn in the slope that he had seen in Titan's realm. He pictured facing a ice version of Titan, completely colorless. His imagination was interrupted by the soothing sound of a female.

"Summoner, you venture in to my world to do battle?" asked the voice. Vivel felt calm by the woman's tone. "You must tell me Summoner, what is askew in your world? The divider between our realms has been tampered with, the protocrystal's balance shaken. What has transpired to cause such unfathomable events?"

"Oh," said Vivel, trying to sound friendly. "Well we're just delivering your divider to Rabao. Well I was just told to make sure it doesn't float, really. I am not the one selling you."

"Selling me?" said the voice. "My faith in your kind has vanished, Summoner. What greed could cause the wish for destruction of my home? Offer your life as penance, Summoner, for you now must pay."

Vivel immediately lost all comfort, desperately shouting, "I'll just try to ask them not to sell you, if it's hurting you."

"My world is deteriorating, you must sacrifice yourself so I can find solace in my eternal misery. I am Shiva, the Avatar of Frost."

At that, Titan advanced to the end of Vivel's path, where Vivel now saw Shiva. She was built like a human, unlike Titan's beastly appearance. Colored light blue and white, her sad face gleamed with beauty, She had long bands of hair spiked out arbitrarily, but still in a fashion of beauty. her slender legs and arms were covered with long synthetic gloves and boots, with trands of icy cloth waving from her arms.

Vivel's marvel ended as Titan delivered a strong punch in to Shiva's torso. Shiva returned the favor with a slap to Titan's face. Vivel saw that though it appeared to be an even exchange, his copy of Titan could not win against Shiva Prime. He decided that Astral Flow was his only shot, and prepared it right away. "You'll be sorry that you wanted to fight," said Vivel brashly. "Astral Flow! Go Titan with Earthen Fury!"

Titan obeyed and crashed his hands to the ground, creating a fissure that erupted in to the highest magnitude of earthquakes. Vivel grabbed a chunk of ice to keep from being shaken and watched as the layers of land swallowed Shiva and devoured her, crushing her frail body in a wave of earth. Just as quickly, Titan vanished and there was a cloud of icy dust in front of Vivel.

Vivel got to his feet, brushing the flakes of ice off of his Katana sheath. "Well," he said out loud. "I'm getting better at this, didn't even pass out." He called out victoriously, "So can I summon you or what?" There was a quiet, and suddenly Vivel was struck in the head by a large chunk of ice. He collapsed to the ground and grabbed his head, covering his hands in frozen blood. It did help to numb the pain, however.

"Your hasty attack would have been smart, if it was enough the defeat me, Summoner" said Shiva. Vivel struggled to his feet, and saw a badly injured Shiva advancing on him. She was slouched over, and there were gleams of frozen sweat on her forehead. "It appears my Heavenly Strike ability caused quite the collision."

Desperately, Vivel tried summoning Titan, but could not begin his summoning. He reached for Carbuncle but with the same luck. He then came to the horrible realization that using Astral Flow depleted his summoning magic. He remembered that his previous uses of the ability had given him a lot of time to rest afterwards.

As if reading his mind, Shiva soothingly said, "It appears you are still a novice to the art of summoning. That is for shame, your arrogance alone is what will kill you. I will end this swiftly with my Axe Kick."

Horrified, Vivel looked on as Shiva rose in to the air, and lifted both of her arms, she then rushed at Vivel, and stopped directly in front of him. "Good night, child," she murmed and she brought her left leg above Vivel's head, and sent it crashing down.

In an instant, Vivel instinctively pulled out his Great Katana and parried the attack. Shiva retreated, amazed. This was Ignatious's training, he realized. They had constantly practiced parrying slow attacks. He then cntinued what he had always done with Ignatious. Diving at Shiva he slashed in to her chest, sending her back with a brittle cough. "Now for Tachi: Enpi!" he shouted and slashed at Shiva twice in her unprotected body. She fell back, and for a second Vivel stood smiling, impressed with his ability.

"So, you had more energy in you," said Shiva. "Very well." The Avatar approached Vivel, and struck his arm, knocking his weapon away from him, and sending it over the edge of the slim layer of ground. "You were so fond of your Astral Flow ability, I shall show you the devastation of mine. There is no escape this time!"

Vivel quickly cycled through his options, and Shiva engaged and prepared for an attack. He did not have the energy to summon, and had lost his weapon, but he could pull off a black magic spell quickly. An idea popped in to his head and he began a cast.

"Your weak offense can not stop Diamond Dust!" Shiva bellowed, and at her command six pillars of ice rose around Vivel. With a snap of her fingers, the pillars crushed down upon Vivel, trapping him in solid ice.

"And now my tired soul can have but a moment of gratitude," Shiva whispered. "A valiant effort, Summoner, but an unprepared one." At that, The ice around Vivel slowly started to heat. To Shiva's amazement, it started to melt away in to a puddle at the Summoner's feet, until Vivel was completely free of his icy prison. He sighed and looked up at the confused avatar.

"I figured your attack would be some giant ice thing, so I put up Blaze Spikes to try and melt it. Seems like it worked," said Vivel happily.

"This should not have happened," murmured Shiva. "Not if I was in the Cloister..."

Vivel started casting a Fire spell, but was quickly slapped by Shiva. "No, stop," said Shiva, as a scared Vivel fell to the ground. "I will lend you my power, you have proven yourself. But Summoner, you must restore me to my rightful place, that is your task with a part of me at your command. I Thank you, your visit shall echo within me forever. Good bye, brave Summoner."

And with that Vivel felt himself being pulled away from the protocrystal without a choice, and then he collapsed in a heap back in the airship lobby. Hamza was seated in the corner, shivering.

"Vivel! Are you all right? Did you win?" he shouted, rushing to his friend's aid and helping him up.

"Vivel passed the test," said a voice. Vivel looked up and saw Carbuncle facing Hamza and himself.

"Hey, are you the avatar he got? Kinda lame, I expected something bigger." said Hamza, walking towards Carbuncle's small body.

"Shiva was the avatar who resides in the protocrystal," said Carbuncle. "And Vivel managed to survive, but slightly."

"So why are you here?" said Vivel. "Are you mad that I didn't summon you? I will use you next time I promise!"

"No, Summoner. I have been watching over your travels, and although you have a strong will to live, you may not survive in a world so fierce. I have decided that since we are allies, I will lend you my physical abilities. My strength, vitality, dexterity, and agility is yours, Summoner. It is not much, but may help you survive the perils you have yet to face."

"Wait, Carbuncle," said Vivel struggling to get up. "I'm not sure I know why the avatars want to kill me. Aren't I supposed to be helping them?"

"Summoner," started Carbuncle. "They do not understand the desire to live of your kind, they assume that you expect a life or death battle. It is the only way to call them, to battle them. Luck was on your side against Shiva, but we can't rely on luck alone. So please, take my power."

"Wait" said Hamza. Carbuncle and Vivel turned to him. "Don't I get a power boost too? I could sure use one! Then nothing can stop me. Give me some avatower power!"

"Hamza," started Carbuncle. "You are not a Summoner, I must focus my full efforts on Vivel.

"But he's my friend," said Vivel. "If you help him he will help me, I need him. Please Carbuncle, I'll accept your power if Hamza gets some too."

"Summoner, this is not something to be discussed. But very well, if you are to protect Vivel I see no harm in helping you. Now come to me, fighters of the avatars. Open your hearts, and accept my energy."

Hamza joyfully stepped towards Carbuncle and Vivel followed, happy to help his friend. Carbuncle lept in to the air and flashed bright with the colors of the rainbow. The colors reflected on to Hamza and Vivel for only a second, and then faded.

"Wow!" shouted Hamza. I feel great! I can jump twice as high now!" He also noticed that he had a brand new lance, as blue as Carbuncle, with a sharper tip than any other he had ever seen. Vivel too had a blue Great Katana now, fashioned n a manner perfet for Vivel's stance.

"Please use this power to continue your quest for the avatars. Farewell Vivel, my heart and yours are now attuned," Carbuncle whispered and quickly vanished.


	10. The Ducal Guards

Chapter 9- The Ducal Guards

"Amazing!" Hamza shouted as he hoisted his new weapon in to the air. He started jumping around the cramped room with glee, while Vivel smiled at him. He couldn't help but feel responsible for Hamza's happiness, which made him happy too.

Soon, a rumbling noise shook their tranquility, alerting them that the airship was landing. Stopping suddenly, both Tarutaru realized the trouble they were in.

"The Protocrystal!" Vivel cried. "It's still floating there!" He pointed to the ice crystal, which was in the position it had been before, hovering slightly. Hamza stared in confusion, and then shouted in horror, "Oopy!"

As if by cue, the Tarutaru heard the door unlatch, and stood in fear as it slowly opened. Vivel's knees buckled, with his eyes fixed on the door. Hamza dove for the leather bag, and tried to smother the crystal with it. He collided with the icy relic and brought it crashing to the floor, just as the door opened. There was a lone Elvaan, wearing the generic battle armor. It was not Oopy, which brought slight relief to Vivel. Hamza slowly got up and stared at their new visitor.

"You fools, Oopy will not be pleased at this," he said anxiously. "We told you not to touch it, why didn't you listen! Oh, I need to report this, I'm sorry for you. You were warned though.." He ran off and Vivel felt his stomach churn.

"That's it," Hamza whispered. "We need to run, now." He started towards the door and turned to Vivel. "We can run to Bastok from here, I was looking at the map while you were gone. I think I know the way." His face was beat red, which alarmed Vivel. The young Summoner hoped his friend would stay calm, but now knew the danger they were in. He knew he had to run.

"Wait," he said remembering Shiva. "We need to put the Protocrystal back where Shiva wants it. She only let me beat her so I would do that." He expected resistance, but Hamza jumped back and stuffed the crystal in to the leather sack.

"You're crazy, man," muttered Hamza. "Come on, help me carry it then. But if the Elvaan come after us I'm chucking it at them," he said jokingly. Vivel felt relieved that Hamza could still crack a joke. He ran over, and hoisted the bag up with Hamza's help. Led by the Dragoon, they ran out of the lobby and blindly stumbled out of the door in to a world of sand. This was Altepa, just as Vivel remembered.

Now the sense of danger and adrenaline kicked in, as they dropped the bag and dragged it through the sand, running as fast as they could in no particular direction. The sand slowed their pace and made Vivel's legs throb. He didn't have a chance to take in his surroundings, but there was only sand as far as he saw. Hamza was running at a faster pace, and Vivel felt himself being dragged along.

The two of them came up to a giant Sand Worm and Hamza unknowingly tripped over it. The worm stood stunned for a moment and started shaking violently. "Come on!" Vivel shouted and lifted Hamza to his feet. They grabbed the bag and resumed their escape, leaving the confused worm behind. With no grasp on how long they had been running, the two trucked ahead, continuing their desperate flee until they reached a giant rock sticking up from the endless bed of sand. Without needing to say anything, they ducked behind it and both collapsed to the ground panting.

Hamza broke the silence first with a grin. "What an escape," he marveled. "We must have ran for a half hour, gah my legs feel like jelly. And lookie here, your crystal is with us. Damn, I'm good."

"Should we keep running?" Vivel asked. "They'll definately come looking for us."

"Nah," said Hamza cooly. "We'll hide out here and then skip over to Bastok. I hope they have good food there, I'm starved."

"Hey, Hamza," Vivel started. "Thanks for helping me. I know we haven't been friends for long, but I'm glad that you are here. You make me calm down, and it's not so scary anymore."

"You aren't too bad yourself Viv," Hamza responded cheerfully. "You even got me the blue weapon, and Hell this is sure fun." Both friends looked at the crystal, which was still clumsily concealed in its bag. In good spirits, Vivel gained confidence that Shiva would be back where she belonged soon.

At that, they heard a quiet shuffling sound from the other side of the rock. Hamza instinctively grabbed Vivel and dove to the ground against the giant boulder. He covered Vivel's trembling mouth with his hand and shriveled up to occupy as little space as possible. The shuffling grew louder, and then ceased. Hamza stayed in his position, with the only sounds being the eerie chill of distant sandstorms.

After waiting sufficient time, Hamza loosened and moved his hand from his friend's face. "Probably just a monster passing through, there's a lot of 'em around here," he said relieved. "We're good pal. No worries here." Vivel stayed where he was, not about to tempt his apparent luck. "Look buddy, we're safe," Hamza repeated. "I'll even jump on top of this rock and take a look around." He brushed the sand off of his body and easily leaped up to the rock. Vivel expected a message, but heard nothing.

He waited a few more seconds, but there was complete silence. Cautiously, he rose and looked above him. Standing on the rock was Hamza, staring in to a furious Oopy. The Elvaan lifted him by his red hair, and angrily threw him at the ground. Hamza landed on his back, and muttered an "umph." Vivel stood fixed on Oopy, all hope now gone from his body. The Elvaan jumped down to the Protocrystal, and turned towards the two petrified comrades.

"I don't know what's more unbearible," Oopy growled. "Your stupidity, or your repulsiveness. What the Hell were you doing, trying to steal our item? You dug your own graves boys, and I will be happy to fill them up for you."

"We need to return the crystal, Oopy," said Hamza, finally speaking up. "The avatar inside of it needs us to bring it back to the Northlands. That's why we took it." Vivel wanted to admit that it was his plan to valiantly save Hamza, but he could not string words together.

"No nonsense," roared Oopy, still furious. "You have disrespected me enough, now close your eyes and I will complete my business quickly." He lifted his arms, still covered in tape, and converted to his battle stance. Vivel looked over and ws amazed to see that Hamza had drawn his lance, staring in to Oopy.

"Why don't you just come over here and see what happens. Me and Viv have improved a lot, you should be the one closing your eyes," he said grimly. Vivel couldn't tell the truth, but he just knew that he couldn't stand up to Oopy.

"Don't be ridiculous, my powers double each day. Spare yourself any more humility, you're lucky I don't feel like torturing you, because mark my words the San d'Orian law legally allows me to do whatever the Hell I want with you disgraces." Oopy shot back, not at all worried by Hamza's boast. His feet dug in to the ground and he began boosting, focusing on Hamza. The Dragoon turned white, unsure of his chances against his former ally. Vivel forgot about Ignatious, and Carbuncle, and Shiva. He cared only about Hamza being okay.

"Why, hello there!" snorted a completely unknown voice. Oopy stopped and looked to his left in disbelief. Hamza and Vivel looked over too, to amazingly see the most unexpected sight of the day.

Standing there were three people, each looking ridiculous. The first one, who had given the greeting was a Tarutaru. He was clearly overweight, with a flab of skin peeking out of his tight-fit red tabard. He had a gaping smile, which revealed his rotted and misshapen teeth. At his side he had a sheathed sword and tiny buckler shield. He, and the other two both had snow white subligars on, revealing their bare legs. Also, they each had a giant pointed hat, with names etched in to it. The Tarutaru's read, "Lewis."

Next was a Galka, who wore a black gi over his white subligar for a horrendous sight. He was grinning dumbly, as if he had just acomplished something he knew nothing about. Tufts of spikey hair could be seen under his large hat, which read "Homsar."

Finally, the last member of this outrageous group was a Hume. He was wearing a ridiculously poor sheepskin vest, with an axe at one of his sides and a small jug at the other. His face was heavily bearded, and he had a scar covering his left eye. His hat showed the name, "Groth."

"N...not you," Oopy muttered.

"Aw, but we're so glad to see you, Loopy!" said Lewis smiling wider. "Looks like you have been a bad bad boy though, taking this crystal and trying to sell it. Bad, you know Jeuno doesn't like when you mess with that stuff." The Taru spit as he spoke, making a small puddle in front of him.

"Yah, we told your dumbdumb prince to get rid of the doo-hickey, but he just tried to make a quick gil instead. Now you gotta pay, little Monk. You broke da law," said Homsar. His voice was deep and loud, but supported his oblivious appearance.

"Yar, Oopy," chimed Groth, with the voice of a scruffy Hume. "We been tracking your little ship since you left Sandy. Killed all the guys back at the airship, but we found out that you took the crystal and tried to run. Well we's gonna kill you now anyways."

Oopy stood in horror, even more scared than Hamza had been. What was so special about these guys that they scared Oopy, thought Vivel.

"So, Ramyrez knew you would be after us. That's why he wanted the Tarutaru to go. He knew you three might intervene..." Oopy muttered, already defeated.

"Of course we would!" Lewis shouted. "WE are the Ducal Guards, Jeuno's number one! And you know our number one rule is not tooo mess with the banned crystals!"

"Summoning Magic was banned for good reason, and all the things related to it too," Groth explained. "You never shudda messed with us bub, now you will pay with yer little life."

Lewis turned and finally noticed Vivel and Hamza by the rock. "Who are these two goofballs?" he demanded. "These Tarutaru wanted a piece of the profit eh, well they gonna pay too then."

"They tried to stop me, they told me I shouldn't have done this," said Oopy. "I've never met them before, they have no affiliation to the Kingdom or Summoning." Vivel realized that Oopy was actually trying to spare them. He must have really given up hope in that case, Vivel thought.

"Nah, we kill all three of yous," Homsar said cheerfully. "We know you git out of the airship with the Elf, we know that you were in it with them. Now all that's left to see is who gets to kill who."

Oopy gasped and turned to Hamza and Vivel. "These are Jeuno's Ducal Guards," he said in a panic. "We cannot defeat them like this, they are the most skilled in the Duchy. On my mark, run for your lives." The dire seriousness of his voice struck fear in to Vivel, moreso than the appearance of the guards.

The Ducal Guards were conversing among themselves about who would defeat which enemy. "Well, I think we should ask them, they can pick us," Groth said.

"No ways, not their choice I think," said Homsar.

"Now!" Oopy roared and turned, Vivel immediately following him. Hamza hoisted his body in to the air, jumping far. The guards stayed calm, taking amusement in their prey's desperation. Lewis quickly called out "Stun!" and started casting a spell. In a split second Hamza was crippled and left unable to move. He sailed down to the ground and landed in the sand creating a puff of smoke.

"I got the others," said Groth and he lifted his fingers to his mouth and made a sharp whistle. Seemingly from nowhere, three large scorpions appeared and stood in front of Vivel and Oopy's path. Groth snapped his fingers and the monsters lifted their tails, ready to attack. Oopy stopped and turned towards the guards, with Vivel doing the same. With a clap from Groth, the scorpions retreated to their previous station.

"Now that you see your position, please allow us to finish you the way we want toooo," chuckled Lewis. Hamza rose to his feet and joined Vivel, dumbfounded. Oopy was now shaking, horrified at his predicament.

"I got this six-sided die. How about I give it a roll," said Lewis. "You two mind if I fight first?" he asked to his comrades. Both smiled and shook their heads, and Lewis turned to his foes. "Let's see, if I roll a multiple of two, I gonna kill the fraidy cat with the blue hair," he said pointing to Vivel. "Multiple of three I get Oopy, and a multiple of four I beat the goofy jumping guy with the silly blue poker stick." He withdrew a plain white die from his tabard, and rolled it between his fingers.

"Our fate decided, by a roll of the die," said Oopy disheartedly. Vivel could feel sympathy for his former enemy, although he was still scared for himself. Lewis hurled the die on the ground beneath him, and it sunk under the sand. Frantically, he dug for it and was able to pick it up, reading the number it had fallen on. Oopy, Vivel, and Hamza held their breath, focusing on the words coming out of Lewis.

"Ah, lookie," he said. "Number four, I get tooo tango with jumpy." Hamza stared ahead, unable to produce a reaction. Oopy looked at Hamza consolingly, knowing this would be his last battle.

"Hey wait there, Lew," said Groth from behind. "Ain't four a multiple of two also, so you gotta actually fight both of them Tarus."

"Ah, how lucky for me," said Lewis. "I git tooo play with them both, then you two can share Oopy. Ah, wait a sec, what are your guys nameses?" he asked. Vivel couldn't believe it, Lewis was actually happy about fighting them both. He knew then how outclassed he was.

"Vivel in the blue hair and Hamza in the red," answered Oopy sternly. Lewis walked over to Groth and Homsar, saying, "Hey Grothy, get a reading on those two, let's make sure they aren't nothin' special." Groth nodded and pulled out a black linkpearl. He started silently speaking in to it.

"This is your chance," Oopy said silently as to avoid the guards hearing. "The two of you might be able to win. Lewis is the weakest member of the guards, if you are as strong as you said there could be hope." Hamza and Vivel stared up at Oopy, ready to accept any form of advice. "Vivel," he said. "You need to preform a Summoning and defeat Lewis quickly. Then maybe I can take another one of them out."

Vivel looked helplessly at Oopy and said, "I can't summon. My powers are gone for a while unless I rest."

"Just our luck," Oopy growled. "Well, you'll have to use that damn sword. Lewis is a Red Mage, you can't give him time to cast. Just throw out a full attack from the start. The longer you fight, the more the battle will shift to his favor."

Hamza nodded, and looked at Vivel.

"This is our time," he said to Vivel. "We got that power from Carbuncle for a reason, now just remember not to be scared. Even Oopy thinks we can win this." Vivel looked at Hamza approvingly. "We'll show them," he said.

"Ah, don't worry!" shouted Groth. "They are nothing! Low ranking fighters. Amazing they actually didn't die walking around in the desert!" he laughed. "Just don't kill them too quick, Lew. We're here for a show. The Tarutaru guard smiled devilishly, and cracked his knuckles loudly. "Come on over and play, buddies," he said and drew his sword, pointing it at Hamza.

"Turn it up!" Hamza declared and pulled out his Lance. Vivel did the same and took his katana in to his hands, crouching in to his battle position. They heard a loud booming sound, and overhead saw that Rabao was shooting off fireworks. Vivel looked desperately for the Bastokan ones, but couldn't find any.

"Ah, a perfect tune for yours funerals," Lewis giggled.

"Now!" Hamza screamed and dove upwards in to the air, guided by his weapon. Vivel ran in towards Lewis.


	11. Duel with a Warlock

Chapter 10- Duel with a Warlock

The fierce heat of the desert was nulled by the protocrystal's cold wave. The sun was still intense, and Vivel could only make out a blurry vision of the Red Mage Lewis. He gripped his Great Katana harder, preparing for an attack. In the rush, he tried staying focused. Fear and doubt were lingering in the back of his head, ready to consume him if he stopped for a moment to think.

In a rage, he swung his weapon around in a circle, carrying his body with it, and crashed its full force in to Lewis. He felt his weapon strike something, and immediately retreated, amazed that he may have done damage. When his eyes came in to focus, he saw Lewis standing in front of him, without his giant hat on.

"Runt, your attack took my offical Ducal Guard hat right off. You cut it up too!" said the angry mage. Vivel stared up at him, waiting for the next move to be made. Lewis had thick gray hair in sweaty clumps on his head. "Lucky bastard!" he continued. "I'll dodge every single attack you throw at me! You just caught me off guard." He pulled out his raiper style sword. It was rusted and blunt.

"That was a good hit," Oopy muttered to himself. "That kid is stronger than I thought. But look at him, he's just allowing Lewis to hit him. He's too stupid to continue his assault."

"Ah hah! As well as having magical abilities beyond your wildest dreams, I've gots the best swords skills too." Lewis gloated. "This is my _Ultimate Lewis Smash ver.II_" he announced, jabbing his weapon in to the sand repeatedly. "This makes you not know when I'm going to hit you" he explained, as Vivel watched.

"Look out mate!" shouted Groth. "Above you, damn idiot!" Lewis quickly lifted his large head upwards, to see Hamza sailing directly towards his body.

"Ahh!" Lewis screeched. He frantically reached for his small shield and lifted it over his body, cowering. Like a bullet, Hamza's weapon pierced the shield, shattering it. Unable to bear the force, Hamza let go of his weapon, and sailed directly in to Lewis's face. Both of them crashed in to the sand, creating a dust cloud. Hamza immediately jumped out and retrieved his blue weapon, landing next to a shocked Vivel.

"Nice hit," Vivel said to his friend. Hamza grinned and stared ahead. The dust soon started to settle and Lewis dragged himself to his feet. His round brown nose was drenched in blood from the collision.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself in tooo, I'll show no more mercy," Lewis growled.

"Again!" Hamza commanded and lunged at Lewis. The Red Mage ducked and Hamza sailed over him. Lewis then set his sights on Vivel, and prepared another ability with his sword.

"_Lewis Raging Slash!_" he yelled and thrusted his sword directly at Vivel's face. With one hand, Vivel spun his weapon around in front of him, breaking the blade off of Lewis's sword. Lewis stood holding the handle to his former weapon in disbelief. Hamza was now standing behind him, ready to attack.

"Incredible," Oopy thought out loud. "Both of them have somehow increased their power dramatically. Maybe there's hope, as long as they don't let in."

"Why didn't you tell me these worms were so tough?" cried Lewis to his comrades. "I would have been serious if I knew that they had a little bit of skill."

"Uhh, maybe you're just too weak there Lew," Homsar spouted out. "All threes of you weak Tarutaru ain't lookin' strong."

Lewis stared at the sand, which now was home to his shattered shield and sword. He dropped the remains of his weapon, and looked on at Vivel. "Yous think you have me surrounded, little brutes. Well I'm a Red Mage. Magic is my specialty. I'm gonnas cripple yous so bad that you wish I would kill ya with my sword!"

"Not a chance," said Hamza. "You're just a bully who bit off more than he can chew. And now you have to pay for it."

Lewis turned to Hamza. "I've about had enough of you, little jumping bean. Let's see you try too hit me when I take out your eyes! Blind!" With the raise of his hand, a black cloud appeared in front of the Dragoon's eyes.

"Gah!" Hamza yelled. "I can't see! Where did you go!" He clutched his eyes and rubbed them furiously.

"I'm coming Hamza," Vivel called and ran to his friend, ignoring Lewis.

"Oh, don't worry. I've gots a treat for you too, samurai-man," Lewis announced. "My Fast Cast is the fastest cast ever. You can't stop me! Bind!" In an instant, Vivel was rooted to the ground and his legs became immobile, trapped to the sand.

"Perfect, now I'm in control!" said Lewis laughing. He strolled to Vivel, staying out of range of his weapon. Vivel was holding out his blue Katana, furiously waiting to attack. "Stone!" Lewis yelled and small rocks shot from the ground, smacking Vivel's head. Lewis chuckled and moved to Hamza, who was still struggling to see. "I'm a bully? No way. A bully would do this! Fire!" a small ember appeared at Hamza's feet, who immediately fell to the sand and rolled around to dull the flame.

"This might help you, Aero!" Strong winds cut at Hamza's armor, ripping it apart. Lewis angrily grabbed Hamza by his neck and slapped his cheek. "Brat! Breaking my shield and mocking me!"

Hamza grunted, still unable to see. Suddenly, a small jolt of electricity struck Lewis in the shoulder. Turning, he saw Vivel had cast the Thunder spell.

"I'm a mage too," said Vivel calmly. "And I know all of your tricks. I may not have learned how to blind or bind, but my elemental spells are top notch!"

"I was going too kill you second, but since you're so eager to die, I have no problem finishing you first!" Lewis growled. Vivel had broken the bind and was now charging at Lewis full-force. Hamza finally regained his eyesight and jumped to his feet.

"Vivel! Hit him with your best weapon skill!" Hamza shouted. Vivel stopped in front of Lewis to think for a moment.

"Ah, Tachi: Jinpu!" Vivel delcared and slashed Lewis's chest twice before he could respond. Two small cyclones appeared momentarily where Vivel had made his strikes. Lewis trudged backwards, stunned from the blow. Hamza had made it to Lewis and drove his lance forward.

"Fivefold demise! Penta Thrust!" he cried and hoisted his weapon in to Lewis's back, with four quick jabs and a final piercing blow. With that, a giant black sphere appeared over Lewis and crushed him to the sand, burying his body.

"Gravitation!" yelled Oopy. "You created a skillchain!"

"Lucky!" Hamza said cheerfully.

"No way!" cried Groth. "They defeated Lew like that? What the Hell, mate!"

Vivel knew what a Skillchain was. He knew that they were created by stringing together different weapon skills, but unlike Ignatious, didn't know the specific names. The two Taurtaru looked at Lewis's buried body.

"Is he dead?" asked Hamza bluntly. As if to answer him, Lewis slowly rose from the ground. His hair and red top were now stained brown by the sand, and his wounds were open and bleeding. In a daze, he started casting a spell.

"Stop him! He's curing himself!" cried Oopy. But it was too late. In an instant, Lewis's cuts were healed and he was back to full health.

"Your luck for tooday, has just run out," Lewis declared. "Watch my new technique, developed by yours truly. This makes my enfeeblie spells impossible to resist, and at full power! I call it, _Lewis Enfeebling Seal of Destruction!" _An orange light flashed over Lewis's body, and he quickly bound Vivel and Hamza. "There, try and get out of that, you damn fools."

"Darn, I can't move my body at all!" Vivel yelled.

"Me neither!" Hamza cried. "How long is this going to last?"

"You'll be dead before you find out!" Lewis howled.

"Your own fault!" roared Oopy. "You had so many chances to end the fight, but you sat there and watched it happen! Now you're going to die and you only have yourselves to blame!"

"And now the finale! My barrage of spells!" Lewis announced. He began casting on his two opponents, but stopped suddenly. "No, Damn it! No no no no! Out of magic already!"

Groth and Homsar broke out in laughter. "You moron!" Groth yelled. "You just had to show off with your flashy spells on our ride to this sand bucket. That's hilarious! We told you we didn't care that you could use ten spells in five seconds, but you did it anyways!"

"Shut up!" yelled Lewis. "I still have more tricks up my sleeve! These Tarus will be dead in three minutes, guaranteed!"

He turned towards Hamza and Vivel, standing side by side and still unable to move. "I still have convert," he said slyly. "This move lets me swap my physical health with my pool of magic. So watch thisss!" With a snap of his fingers, the change was done.

Hamza's and Vivel's weapons were at their feet, with both fighters unable to pick them up. "I'm sorry," said Vivel. "We should have just left the crystal on the ship, then we might not be about to die."

Hamza laughed. "Don't say we're gonna die Viv, that's scary. Just get out of this hold and we'll cut him up for good."

"Excuse me!" said Lewis, standing arm's length from Hamza and Vivel. "This is my most powerful ability! It's called Chainspell. It let's me non-stop cast spells on you dummies."

"You wastin' Chainspells on them?" asked Homsar.

"I want them too bee in as much pain as possible before they die," Lewis snarled. "Now Chainspell go go go!"

An image of a stop watch appeared over Lewis's head, with the hands spinning rapidly.

"We gotta move!" Hamza cried. "Struggle!"

"I can't!" Vivel responded desperately. His entire body was numb, he didn't have the will to try resisting.

"Start off with Stonega!" Lewis announced. Immediately, Hamza and Vivel were pelted with stones. "Now, Waterga! Aeroga!" The bound Tarutaru were struck with intense blasts of water and then cut at with razor sharp wind. "Blizzaga!" Chunks of ice crushed against the skin of Vivel and Hamza. The pain was immense. Vivel felt himself be released from the bind, but he was too weak to move.

"Thundaga! Firaga! Stonega!" Lewis gleefully called. Vivel and Hamza were battered around by the black magic,unable to defend themselves. "And now for the big finish! This is my ultimate spell, and I'll use it five times in a..." his sentance stopped suddenly.

Oopy had grabbed him by his front collar and lifted him to the air, choking him.

"No, Oopy. Stop that!" Groth called out. "We've played fair this whole time. Don't be a sore loser!"

Oopy ignored them. "You made a stupid mistake, Lewis. Using Convert with no magic left your health at next to nothing. Which means one attack will end your pathetic life." Lewis's eyes danced with fear, as he frantically kicked and squirmed, trying to say something. "No more spells for you, little man," said Oopy.

"End it now!" cried Groth again. "Let them finish their battle, don't do this you damn cheater!"

Vivel and Hamza stood in disbelief, barely conscious enough to see what was transpiring.

Oopy frowned and loosened his grip on Lewis.

"That's right, now let him go," said Homsar. Lewis was still thrashing around in wild terror

"Fine," said Oopy and dropped Lewis. The Ducal Guard sailed to the ground as Oopy looked over at Vivel. In an instant, the Monk turned and sent a shattering kick to Lewis's neck. Vivel heard a blood-curling scream, and Lewis fell dead in to the sand.


	12. Desperate Blows

Chapter 11- Desperate Blows

An eerie silence swept over the entire desert, save for the fireworks. Oopy stood scowling, staring at Groth and Homsar. Vivel and Hamza slowly stood to their feet, staring in horror at Lewis's corpse. Vivel felt himself growing sick, still in shock at what had transpired, and pierced by Lewis's cry. Homsar finally broke the silence.

"You shouldn't a' done that, Oopy. You'll spending the rest of your short life wishing you not done that."

"It looks like we've emerged as the victors in round 1," said Oopy boldly. "Lewis made a foolish mistake, I couldn't allow him to get away with it."

"You're right," said Groth, approaching Oopy. He picked up the dead body and furiously heaved it to his right. It collapsed in to the sand in a motionless pile. "But you broke our rules. We could have easily killed you all from the start and you know it. The choice was between a quick, painless death and a slow, agonizing death. Oopy, you bought yourself the latter."

"Whats, with these guys?" Vivel quietly asked Hamza. "One of their friends is dead and they don't even care. They're more upset that Oopy cheated."

"That's the danger," started Hamza gravely, "of the enemy we're fighting. They don't have regard for life like we do."

Groth continued past Oopy towards Vivel and Hamza. The two Tarutaru cowered, but Groth ignored them and went for the protcrystal. He Lifted the sack up and slumped it behind his back, walking back towards Oopy.

"We'll make sure that nobody tries anything tricky, eh?" he stated. "Now for Oopy's punishment."

"I'll do it," Homsar said sternly, cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna rip his head off!"

Groth shrugged. "Fine, then after I'll play with those stragglers," he said. "But listen here, little Tarutarus," he continued, looking at Hamza and Vivel, "you even start to pull a stunt like Oopy did, and you're in for a horrible death. Just sit there like good boys and wait your turn. I'll make it quick if you behave."

Vivel felt his heart rate increasing as panic swept over him once again. He looked at Hamza for consolation.

"Hey!" Hamza shouted out. "What's wrong? You don't think you could beat us all at once, tough guy? Seems to me like you're afraid!"

Homsar took his first good look at Hamza. "I'mma gonna kill you now for saying that!" he bellowed.

"Leave them" muttered Oopy. "Your fight is with me, like you chose. They won't interfere." He turned to Vivel, ignoring Hamza. "Our strategy remains constant," he said aloud. "If I'm able to defeat Homsar, the three of us will all take out Groth at once."

"Ah! Hah hah hah!" Homsar boomed. "Look at thats, they making plans for the future!" Groth smirked and walked a short distance away, dropped the protocrystal, and sat down next to it, scratching his rear.

"You want to fight me, you damn imbecile?" Oopy asked loudly and quickly. "I'll finish you off just as I did to your little friend, you savage." He removed the bandages from his arms, revealing the red scars the Gigas had made. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, the Elvaan looked on at his opponent, who was dumbly smiling.

"Something isn't right," Vivel said. "Oopy doesn't think he can win. I can tell."

"What? He's trash-talking like he always does. He knows he can win, and for once I'm happy to say that," responded Hamza.

"No," said Vivel gravely. "You're wrong. He's talking to shield his fear."

"Good," interrupted Hamza. "Fear is going to make him act in desperation, which means we'll see his best performance."

"Fear will just make him sloppy," continued Vivel.

"On your mark," said Homsar openly. Oopy quickly boosted, sending ripples through the sand around him. Without wasting any time, he lunged at Homsar, sending his right fist directly in to the Galkan's mouth.

"Right on! Direct shot!" Hamza said cheerfully. Oopy removed his hand, to see Homsar still smiling, with blood trickling from his lip. Furiously, Oopy sent his left elbow in to Homsar's nose, and then jumped in the air and crashed his foot in to his enemy's ear, sending him to the ground.

"Too unaware to know you're being beaten," scoffed Oopy. He jumped at Homsar and stomped both of his feet on the back of his head, sending him further in to the sand and removing his giant pointed hat.

"I think he has it!" Vivel said. "And we were so worried! These guys aren't that strong after all!"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying, Viv!" Hamza replied.

But the triumph was short lived, as Homsar slowly rose from the sand, revealing his can-shaped spikey jet-black hair. And despite the bumps and bruises on his face, he was still smiling.

"I was hoping you would be stronger there Oopy," he said dumbly. "Can I go yet?"

"You don't mock me! Just keep smiling while I smack you around!" Oopy demanded, enraged. He jumped at Homsar again, preparing a punch. This time, Homsar responded however. With one of his giant hands, he grasped Oopy's head, lifting him in to the air. "Boom!" he yelled, as he sent his other fist in to Oopy's stomach, sending the Elvaan flying 10 feet backwards. Hamza and Vivel gasped in horror.

But Oopy immediately was on his feet and charging at Homsar again. He threw a fierce uppercut at the Ducal Guard, who responded by head butting Oopy back to where he had just fallen. Oopy rose again, cringing in pain and lunged at Homsar a third time. Homsar laughed and grabbed Oopy in a bear hug. Oopy screamed in pain, and with that Homsar tossed him in to the air, grabbing him by his head. He effortlessly threw the Elvaan at Vivel and Hamza.

"Gahhh" screamed Vivel. "Do something!" Hamza grabbed Vivel and jumped in to the air, just dodging Oopy, who sailed in to the rock that Vivel had hidden behind not long ago.

"AH! Awesome!" Groth roared from the distance. "You almost took out all three of them in one shot! That's great mate!"

"Oopy!" Vivel yelled, looking at the battered Monk. Struggling even more, Oopy stood to his feet, staggering. His orange gi was torn on the left side, and his hair was stained from sand and blood. Slowly, he walked back to Homsar, who still held his smile.

"I've been waiting, to use my technique against someone, thank you for... giving me the chance to use you," said Oopy, sputtering the words.

"Ah hah hah hah!" Homsar cried. "Yous can't even talk and you try to threaten me!"

"My Hundred Fists has never failed, not once," said Oopy grinning. "And you're too slow and stupid to stand up to it."

"Oh, well in that case I can test Counterstance, a new ability perfected by myself!" Homsar responded confidently.

"I know of Counterstance, and it significantly lowers your defenses, not a smart idea when I'm going to be furiously attacking you."

Homsar held his arms out, turning his body to stand face forward. He began concentrating on discarding his defenses, and focusing only on countering Oopy.

Oopy roared at the sky, as red firey rings shot up and down his arms. The rings vanished, and in a flash he was punching Homsar. Both fighters were moving so quickly, Vivel and Hamza could not see a thing, it was all a blur.

"Who's winning? I can't tell!" Vivel asked.

"Me neither," said Hamza. "We need to focus. Try to block everything out and focus on them. Close your eyes for a second to clear your vision or something."

Vivel tried it, and suddenly an image shot in to his head. It became more clear, and soon he could see the action. Oopy sent a punch, and Homsar blocked it and returned with is own punch. It happened again, and then Homsar dodged a kick and sent his own foot in to Oopy's side. Vivel turned away, unable to bear Oopy's pain.

Hamza stared on, watching the fight. "It's over," he whispered when the noise died down. Vivel looked to see Homsar and Oopy facing each other. After a five second calm, Oopy fell to Homsar's feet.

"Ah! See! I blocked every single one of your attacks!" Homsar cried. "You're worthless!" He kicked Oopy' chest hard, delivering his limp body to Vivel and Hamza. Dazed, he looked up at the Tarutaru.

"You're hurt," Vivel whimpered. Hamza stared mercifully at Oopy.

"Vivel..." he started. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Hamza proclaimed.

"Your life shouldn't end today. But destiny has... dealt us a crippling hand. I'm sorry." He forced a smile at the young Tarutaru.

Vivel began to feel emotional. Even though he had fiercely hated Oopy before, he felt amazing sympathy for his wounded comrade. Before they could continue, Homsar was at the scene.

"I'm not done with you yet, I'm gonnas squeeze every bit of life out of yas in the most painful of ways."

He grabbed Oopy by the arm, threw him away from Vivel, and then chased him. Vivel stared at where Oopy was, at a loss for words.

Homsar then grabbed Oopy's left shoulder blade and squeezed on it, causing Oopy to cry out. And with a devilish grin, he fully extended his arm, dislocating Oopy's shoulder.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" bellowed Oopy, choking back tears. He coughed up a mess of blood, and slumped his head over. His arm dangled at his side lifelessly. Homsar kicked him again, sneering.

"That's enough," Vivel said firmly. "No more!"

"Eh?" said Hamza, looking at his friend in confusion.

"I'm going in. I won't let that jerk torture Oopy any more!"

"Vivel... you saw what he did to Oopy." Hamza started.

"I have to help!" Vivel shouted. "Oopy is Ignatious's friend, and our friend too!"

Hamza stared at Vivel, and then broke out in to a grin. "That's the way, Vivel. All right! Let's stand up!"

Homsar was battering Oopy around the sand with his feet. The Elvaan Monk could do nothing to defend himself, and just wailed in agony. His life was reaching its end.

"Look," said Hamza whispering. "I think I have a plan." Vivel nodded, getting closer to Hamza so he could hear. "Groth, that guy next to the crystal, is watching us right now. One of us will have to keep him busy so the other can attack Homsar."

Vivel looked over at Groth, who was staring directly at them. He felt a chill run down his spine. "I'll do it." he said firmly. "I think I can do a summon at this point, if just for a moment. I won't be able to do a strong attack, but I can buy as much time as you need. But can you take on Homsar by yourself?"

Hamza stared at Vivel. "Maybe," he said fearfully. "I heard Homsar talking about how using Counterstance lowers his defense. That means a direct Jump attack could be enough to finish him, if I catch him off-guard. Similar to how Oopy took on Lewis, we need the element of surprise."

"Thanks Hamza. You're the best," said Vivel, trying to show his gratitude.

"Thank you for being brave Viv, we won't lose, I promise you. Now let's hurry before Oopy get finished off! Go!"

Vivel sighed heavily. He looked at Groth, and then sarted running directly at him.

"Hey, let's see how tough you are!" Vivel shouted out, approaching Groth.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Groth exclaimed in disbelief. Vivel stopped in front of Groth, smelling the foul odor of his vest. He turned and retreated back twenty paces.

"Damn food, you've gone mad?" demanded Groth. Vivel nervously began summoning Titan, while Hamza, safe from sight, grabbed his lance and lept in to the air.

Oopy was laying in the sand in a bloody heap. "Now how should I kill you," said Groth. "The fun's all over, you won't even respond to me anymore. Heys! A Giant Galka Homsar Body Slam attack! That will crush your little bones!"

"You're a bloody Summoner?" said Groth. "Damn boy, you're just begging me to kill you!"

Titan was standing next to Vivel in the sand, looking towards Groth. "Go," demanded Vivel strongly. "Rock Throw attack!"

Titan dug his left arm in to the ground and pulled out a small boulder the size of Vivel's head. He heaved it at Groth, who in shock took the attack right in his chest. He fell back, and immediately regained his composure.

"You little... you're dead now! Dead!" Groth cried, his vest ripped by Titan's attack. He grabbed one of the jugs at his waist, and dumped the contents out. At the snap of his fingers, a tiger materialized in front of him. It had a thick blue coat and razor sharp long frontal teeth.

"This is my pet, I call him SabertoothSam. Now go Sam! Kill those two idiots!" Titan ran in to intervene, but the tiger ripped through his rock hard chest in one bite, causing Titan to dismiss himself. It then set its sights on Vivel.

Homsar took a few steps back, ready to crash his entire body on to the dying Oopy. "Here it is, Super Body Slam go!" He ran up and lifted his giant body in to the air.

At that moment, Hamza appeared from the sky and fiercely drove his lance in to Homsar's upper back. The Monk wailed and stumbled to the sand, but Hamza kept driving his lance, unwilling to give in. The force of Homsar hitting the ground created a fissure, which was soon filled with sand. Hamza jumped out in time, leaving Homsar to be buried.

With a ferocious blow to his chest, Vivel fell to the ground, unable to get up. He was still wounded from Lewis's punishment. Groth called off the attack, seeing what Hamza had just done. Vivel turned and smiled, knowing their plan had worked.

Hamza stood awkwardly, and then ran to tend to Oopy. "Hey, are you okay man?" he asked the Elvaan.

"Gah, I'm fine," sputtered Oopy, obviously lying.

"Hey, where the Hell is Homsar?" called out Groth, running to Hamza with his tiger following.

"Uh, not sure," said Hamza innocently.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble in the place where Homsar was buried.

"You've got to be kidding me," cried Hamza in despair. Slowly, and to Hamza's horror, Homsar crawled his way out of the sand pit and on to land.

"What the Hell was that?" he said smiling. "My back feels like someone shot me! Ha!"

Hamza was trembling in fear, looking up at Homsar.

"Oh, it must have been you," said Homsar. "What dids we tell you about breaking the rules?"

Groth snapped his fingers and his pet disappeared. "You want to take him out, for the cheap shot?" he asked Homsar.

"Sure," said Homsar gleefully, looking at Hamza.

Hamza dropped his weapon, mesmorized with terror. Homsar's giant body loomed over the frail Dragoon, ready to crush him. Vivel was now up and running towards Hamza.

"He wants to plays too! perfect," chuckled Homsar while grabbing Hamza's body. He brought it crashing in to Vivel's sending both Taru to the ground, badly injured.

"I'm done," whispered Vivel. "I can't move anymore, it hurts too much."

"At least..." Hamza responded. "I got one good shot in. At least we went down trying."

"Hey, check out behind you," said Groth to Homsar. At that, a weak Chi Blast attack tapped Groth's shoulder, coming from Oopy.

"You again? You possibly want more?" asked Homsar. The Elvaan was barely standing, holding his injured arm with his good one, which was still badly beaten.

"Like I said," Oopy coldly announced. "Your fight is with me."


	13. Impossible Odds

Chapter 12- Impossible Odds

"You should have stayed down," Groth declared to a stumbling Oopy. The Elvaan was barely standing, floundering back and forth. Obviously, he was on the brink of unconsciousness. Homsar smiled and cracked his knuckles loudly.

Vivel was still, staring in to the sky. Night had fallen quickly, and the nearly full, white moon was overhead. It was the same sky he had looked in to with Shirokaze in Bastok, and in the Ronfaure grass. He slowly felt tears rushing to his eyes, knowing that this was the end.

"Can you do Astral Flow?" asked Hamza casually, who was lying next to Vivel. Vivel was shocked at how Hamza still seemed to calm, in such dire circumstances.

"I c.c.. can't," Vivel responded, unsure of if he could or not. "It hurts too much Hamza, I'm just not strong enough."

"Viv, if you tell yourself that, then I guess we've already lost."

Vivel began to feel angry. Hamza made things seem so simple, but he couldn't do the impossible. He was unwilling to scold his friend, still sorry for dragging him to his death. Before he could choke out a response, Hamza was up.

"I'll cover you," he said coolly. "Damn it Vivel, get up and do your best. Even if the odds are impossible, let's show these morons that we won't give up!" Vivel rolled over and pushed himself up. He grew extremely dizzy, only making out the blur of Hamza's small body in front of him.

Homsar and Groth were both focused on Oopy. He was slowly advancing on Homsar, drifting back and forth unknowingly. Finally reaching the Galka, he slumped over and fell to Homsar's feet.

"Looks like he wanted to take a little nap," chuckled Groth. "He was said to be San d'Oria's finest Monk, eh? And he falls asleep on the job."

Vivel quickly searched for an avatar to summon. Titan's energy had vanished, which left Carbuncle and Shiva. He decided on Carbuncle, and began to summon, going slowly and steadily. Groth heard the hum of Vivel's calling and quickly turned.

"Finish Oopy, and I'll end it for the brats. Let's get out of here quickly so we canreport back before the sun rises," Groth commanded. Homsar stood idly watching Oopy struggle to lift his body up, until he finally collapsed and ceased movement.

"Come on!" screamed Hamza, trying to provoke Groth. Smiling, the Hume lunged at Hamza and drove his axe in to Hamza's left arm. Grunting, Hamza felt pain rip through his body as blood gushed from his arm. Unwilling to give in, he reached for his lance and scooped it in to his right arm.

Vivel dove at Groth, slashing his back with the full force of his Great Katana. Carbuncle followed, diving in to the Ducal Guard. Groth stepped forward, shocked by the force of the surprise attack.

"I don't have the energy to do Astral Flow, but we can still fight," Vivel declared out loud, trying to seem in control. "Carbuncle, use Healing Ruby to help Hamza's arm!"

The small blue avatar leapt in to the air and flashed white for a second, emitting the sound of a bell tolling. Hamza's arm was suddenly covered in an aura, and then was instantly mended.

"Thanks bro," Hamza said, nodding to Vivel. Impressed with his burst of energy and bravery, Vivel looked at Groth confidently.

"You... little shits," he growled. "Tearing my official Ducal Guard Vest… Homsar! Let's finish this in ten seconds!" roared Groth.

Homsar rushed over to Vivel and kicked him squarely in the chest, sending the Tarutaru back in to the sand, and Carbuncle dismissing. "Like that?" Homsar asked laughing.

"No, make him suffer more!" Groth said firmly. Hamza charged at Homsar, but was met with a deadly punch in the face that sent him to the sand also. Now, Vivel, Hamza, and Oopy were motionless.

"Hmm, I think you killed them," Groth said calmly. "Go punish them some more just to make sure. Then we'll bury them under Lew over there."

Homsar moved to Vivel ready for one last attack. The Summoner was completely unconscious, drained from battle and completely overpowered.

"There are no Summoners while we roam Vana'diel," muttered Groth. "Finish him!"

Suddenly, Vivel's body was lifted from the sand, and enveloped in a white light. He quickly felt his health returning to him, and his senses sharpened. Immediately he knew that he was being hit with a powerful Cure spell.

"The Hell!" Homsar screamed. "This devils is recoverin' somehow!"

"Someone cured him!" Groth called. "Quick, finish the others now!"

As he yelled, Hamza was also healed by this unknown force. He blinked and looked to Vivel.

"Way to go man, you can sure cast a good Cure spell," he said cheerfully.

"It wasn't me!" responded Vivel. "Someone else is healing us."

"What is this?" cried Groth in frustration. "Let's kill Oopy now, come on!"

Both guards leaped at Oopy's lifeless body. Homsar drove his fist forward and Groth chopped his axe down over Oopy's neck. Their strike was intercepted over Oopy by a large Heater Shield.

The newcomer holding the shield was completely covered in armor. In his right hand he held a gold-hilted sword. His body was shielded heavy plated mail. The head of their savior revealed he was an Elvaan, but his gray armet concealed any hint of an identity. He towered over Oopy bravely, driving the two guards off with his shield. Stunned, Homsar and Groth stepped back, bewildered by this sudden opponent.

Not wasting any time, Oopy was healed by this mysterious man's magic. Recovered, Oopy stood to his feet, spitting blood to his right. He didn't seem at all surprised by the arrival.

"So you came anyways, Senuke," he muttered.

"It's Sen!" shouted Hamza. "He's a Paladin just like he told us! Damn, I didn't know that he was so good. Awesome!"

Vivel was amazed at Senuke's entrance. He was a completely different person than the one who had fought beside him against the Gigas. This Senuke stood taller and more powerfully. He didn't seem like a sidekick to Oopy anymore, but an entity above any of them.

"I found out after you left that the Ducal Guards may try to intercept the delivery," Senuke explained to everyone. His voice was the same focused tone that Vivel was used to. "I knew that you were in trouble, so I took the nearest airship to Bastok, and purchased some armor. I ran through Korroloka Tunnel and mounted a chocobo in the nearby Rabao. When I approached you all, I sent the chocobo away and waited for a moment to enter undetected."

"Didn't take you very long to get here," Oopy remarked.

"I… didn't want anyone to get hurt out here," said Senuke.

"Pathetic!" Groth yelled. "You think one fighter will make a difference? Your fate remains the same, you damn imbeciles!"

"Nows we have a new toy to play with," Homsar said, smiling.

"You're gonna take them out, right Sen?" asked Hamza cheerfully.

"No," responded Senuke. "I'm not strong enough to kill them. So, where's Lewis?"

"He's dead," said Oopy.

"Wait, what?" Hamza yelled. "If you can't beat them, why did you come?"

"We're going to escape," Senuke called out bravely.

"Hah, heh heh ha! Here's a tip, Pally-Dan. You can't run aways when you're dead!" Homsar gloated.

"Now I will show you what I meant before," said Senuke, ignoring Homsar's taunt. "When we battled the Gigas, I wasn't fit to save you guys. Now I will be able to protect you as a Paladin, even though I am not as strong as a Monk. Their physical strength, no matter how great, is meaningless."


	14. An Untimely Farewell

Chapter 13- An Untimely Farewell

"Let's rip this joker apart, Homsy," said Groth to his ally. "Show him that we don't take no garbage from low-lifes."

Senuke remained constant. Vivel couldn't tell what his facial expression was, as his entire face was shielded by his armet. He could only guess that Senuke had to be nervous by now.

"Let's get ready," said Oopy. "We'll be leaving soon."

Hamza, Vivel, Homsar, and Groth all looked at Oopy in disbelief.

"That's your big plan? To run away?" scoffed Groth. "Enough of this insanity. Fight us now!"

Senuke, finally showing motion, slowly advanced on Groth and Homsar. The two were taken aback by his bravery, beginning to wonder just how powerful he was. Oopy stared ahead with no sign of emotion, as if he knew exactly what was going to transpire.

Senuke stopped directly in front of Groth, towering over the Hume. He saw that next to the jugs on the left side of his belt, there was a small container with a map inside of it. He nodded towards the map, and Oopy grimly nodded as well.

"Well, go ahead then," Senuke finally said. "I'm right here."

Furious, Homsar jumped at Senuke, sending his first directly towards the Paladin's face. The attack connected, crashing with fierce force. But Senuke was unfazed. He responded by beginning to emit a golden aura, very subtly and calmly. With his fist still pressed against the Elvaan's mask, Homsar watched in awe until Senuke finally clenched his fists outwards, and Vivel saw an image of two crossed swords for a second. At that moment, everything seemed to return to normal.

"Invincible," muttered Oopy.

"Don't let his tricks get to ya!" Groth shouted, axe in hand. "Let's get the bastard!"

He swung his axe at Senuke's slightly exposed neck, crushing it on to the skin. Vivel cringed at the sight, but upon looking, Senuke remained standing, completely unaffected. Now both Ducal Guards were still, staring at their invulnerable opponent. And then simultaneously, they erupted in a flurry of kicks, hackings, punches, and slashes. Through the assault, Senuke did not for an instant budge.

Homsar's mightiest punches directly to the face and stomach did not even move Senuke. And Groth's axe made no mark whatsoever. Frustrated, both fighters continued their rampage.

Vivel saw that Oopy has retrieved the protocrystal, as he was holding it over his shoulder in the sack.

"You aren't actually going to still deliver that thing, are you?" Hamza shouted in anger and confusion.

"Of course, I've yet to fail a mission, and I won't let this stop me," Oopy responded in his usual frustrated tone. "We'll split in to two parties. Two of us run to the airship and safely fly it to San d'Oria, while the other two deliver the crystal to Rabao."

Vivel himself was bewildered that Oopy was going through with the petty delivery, after his life had been surely over only a short time earlier. It was then that he saw the line that divided himself from the Elvaan.

Vivel could still hear the cries of Groth and Homsar as they fiercely tried to pierce Senuke's defense. "The Summoner will go with me to Rabao, and the other Tarutaru to the airship with Senuke," continued Oopy.

"Wait, let me go with Viv," Hamza demanded. "Me and him were gonna go to Bastok together."

"Yeah," Vivel added weakly.

"Not a chance," growled Oopy. "Don't forget that you two are enemies of San d'Oria for attempting to steal our property. Do you really think I would leave you alone again?" Vivel's heart sank at this comment. He desperately wanted to stay with Hamza, and not this critical, demanding Elvaan. "Come on!" Oopy yelled. "Let's go! Senuke's ability won't last much longer!"

"Just let me go with you, and Senuke can go by himself!" Hamza shouted.

"NO!" cried Oopy, angrier than Vivel had ever seen him. "I won't let the two of you plot another conspiracy against me. Can't you see we're going to die if we stand here?"

Vivel looked at Hamza for guidance, but the Tarutaru solemnly turned to Senuke. "K," he muttered.

"Aye, end this game! I unleash my big technique!" Homsar declared, drawing all attention to him for a moment. Groth stepped back to shield himself from the intensity of Homsar's ability. Senuke turned to Oopy and the others.

"Why are you still here?" Senuke cried in an oddly afraid tone for himself. "My Invincible technique wore off!"

"Dragon Kick!" called Homsar in a staggeringly loud voice. Senuke immediately buried his body behind his large shield, prepared to try and endure the blow. The giant Galka drove his right foot in to the sand and then immediately out of it, gunning his leg towards Senuke and creating a fan of sand around him. Vivel was amazed that such a large body could fly so quickly through the air. The kick pummeled directly at Senuke, creating a deafening crack in his shield. Unable to withstand the ability, Senuke's arms were forced in the air, leaving his torso unprotected. Still moving, Homsar crashed his other foot directly in to the chest of the Paladin, this time cracking the armor and delivering Senuke backwards and in to the bed of sand.

In horror, Vivel looked to Hamza, who didn't return his acknowledgement. Stunned, Vivel wondered if Hamza didn't care about him anymore, and them immediately felt foolish and selfish for thinking about himself at a time such as this.

But to the Summoner's extreme relief, Senuke slowly rose to his feet.

"Another kick and I would have been finished. Looks like you should work on that technique," he said. For the first time, Vivel saw Oopy genuinely smile.

"Now, let's actually leave this time!" Senuke said to Oopy. He then quickly turned to Groth and Homsar, and began a Divine Magic spell. Immediately, with the raise of his hand, a blinding Flash appeared centered around the Ducal Guards. Vivel closed his eyes in pain, feeling them burn from the extreme brightness.

"My eyes! You God damn son of a bitch! I'll burn down your whole damn country!" cried Groth. Homsar simply wailed in beastly and incoherent words.

Vivel then felt his shoulder be violently grabbed, and then was being dragged across the sand. In confusion and blindness, he grabbed hold of the arm and ran with it, thinking only of if Hamza was close by.

Eventually, Vivel regained full consciousness and realized he was running alongside of Oopy, away from the setting sun.

"We are getting close to Rabao," Oopy said out loud. "I know this area very well."

Vivel was brimming with many questions, unsure which ones to ask first. "What about the Ducal Guards? And Hamza? Will they catch us? Or him?

"Shut up," Oopy responded. "I swear, it's like I'm a damn babysitter. Senuke stole Groth's map. Those idiots will be lost for a while. If we can make it to Rabao, we'll be safe. The Ducal Guards don't want to start a full scale conflict, they were only bullying us."

"But you killed Lewis, aren't they upset?" Vivel asked, slowing to a short jog along with Oopy.

"They don't care. Probably angrier that we stole their map. But they will wait to bother with us again, just shut up about them. Senuke and your friend are safe I'm sure."

Reminded of Hamza, Vivel fell silent for the rest of their journey. He was very attached to his new friend, even though he had known him for less than a week.

Eventually, after a toiling jog, Vivel and Oopy descended in to a short tunnel, which opened up in to a large populated area.

"This is the Oasis Town of Rabao," declared Oopy triumphantly, setting down the heavy protocrystal and stretching his arm. Hardly a town, Rabao consisted of a few trees at the entrance, with wooden housings further on. The center of the small patch of land was a large pond, with countless fishermen gathered around casting lines.

Without warning, Oopy grabbed the sack and moved to his left towards a particularly large tree. Standing there was a Mithra, a race rarely seen by Vivel in real life. The Mithra were human like creatures with tails and cat-like facial features. They were known for generally being agile and skillful, as well as playful. This Mithra was wearing a large white cloak with red stripes around the back. Her hair was brilliantly red and long, with two furry ears sticking up in the midst of it. Smiling at the presence of Oopy, walked over and shook his hand, her tail violently shaking with joy.

"I'm Jennata," she said. "I take it you are the boy from San d'Oria delivering my big crystal?"

"Yes," responded Oopy. "And I have word that the gil transaction was made previously. So in that case, I am simply here to provide you with this relic and take my leave." Oopy dropped the bag on to the sand ground, and pulled a small scroll from under his belt.

"This is my Warp Scroll," he said to Vivel. "It will send me to San d'Oria. So… I'm leaving."

"What?" cried Vivel, speaking for the first time in hours. "You're just leaving me here? No, you can't! I don't know where to go or what to do!"

"Bastok is close," said Oopy disgustedly. "Go there and get back to the rest of your filth. I rescued you from the desert of Altepa and it is also here that I shall leave you. Good bye."

And at that, reading from the scroll, Oopy's body was swallowed in to a dark hole that quickly vanished altogether.

Vivel stood silently for a moment, forgetting about the Mithra. He couldn't believe that Oopy had abandoned him. And more importantly, that he lost Hamza. Maybe he would come to Bastok looking for him, he thought. Then his pessimistic side took over as he determined that Hamza would probably forget about him in a few days' time.

"Excuse me, dear," Jennata said finally. "Do you have some business with me?"

"Oh," said Vivel, embarrassed. "I guess I'm lost."

"It isn't good to be lost," she chuckled. "I'm Jennata of Kazham!" she announced again.

"I'm Vivel… from Bastok," said Vivel timidly.

"A Bastokan Tarutaru? That's a little strange," said Jennata, laughing. "But, I like strange things. Like this crystal here! And this crystal belongs in Fei Yin!"

Suddenly intrigued, Vivel reminded himself about the deal he had made with Shiva. Could this strange newcomer know about Shiva? He decided to ease her in to telling him more.

"How do you know?" he asked casually.

"Well, I study these crystals. In fact, I developed a form of White Magic to Teleport me right to their homes. I discovered this one some time ago, and when I heard that San d'Oria stole it, I needed to bring it back!" She was speaking so quickly, Vivel could hardly follow. "It's strange but I feel connected to these crystals, like I need to protect them or something. Anyways! The Elvaan were eager to get rid of this thing, I barely had to pay anything! So now I can take this crystal back where it belongs and restore peace and harmony!"

Vivel stared at Jennata, soaking in the fast words as well as her odd appearance. She seemed energetic like Hamza, but in a slightly different manner. He didn't feel at ease around her, although she seemed friendly. Still, he nodded and forced a smile to try and show gratitude.

"Oh, you want to come with me?" she asked. "Don't worry, I can also warp us right back here. I am great at teleportation!"

"S..Sure," Vivel said, inching closer.

"All right! Let's do it then!" Jennata cried happily. She hoisted the protocrystal bag up, and began casting her spell. It took a long time to complete, and Vivel stared at Jennata's struggling face as she continued her ability. Finally, the two of them were off, and in an instant Vivel's feet were no longer surrounded by sand, but snow.

The area he was in was a mixture of a blue and white palette. The room bore a striking resemblance to Titan's cloister, and it was obviously the domain of Shiva. Vivel felt a great sense of emptiness inside of him being there, as though he had been there once before, but now returned to find something missing.

"It's cold, huh!" said Jennata enthusiastically, undoing the brown bag and allowing the ice protocrystal to rise in to the air. On it's own, the crystal floated around until it centered in the room, and then it stopped and sent a blast of cold air throughout the entire room, ripping at Vivel's body.

The Tarutaru hunched over, trying to take the freezing temperature. Jennata just smiled. "Now this is more like it! Aren't these crystals cool? I wonder what they do? Ah well, let's get going!"

"Uh, but.." started Vivel. Everything was happening so quickly. But he did realize that he indirectly had fulfilled his pact with Shiva. This was obviously where the protocrystal belonged, but how did Jennata know? Was she also a Summoner?

Before a conclusion could be drawn, Vivel was back at Rabao, staring at a smiling Jennata.

"So, are you interested in those crystals?" Jennata asked.

"Yeah, sure," said Vivel, bewildered. Regaining his senses, He felt a small sense of comfort being around a possible Summoner, although Jennata came across as very odd.

"I, eh, saw another one in Quicksand Caves one time," he said softly.

"Yeah, yeah!" Jennata shouted. "Me too! I can go there too! Actually, I've seen three!"

"Three?" asked Vivel, now completely interested.

"Yeah, I found a third. Want to go there?" asked the enthused Mithra.


	15. Trial by Wind

Chapter 14- Trial by Wind

"Please," Vivel urged. "Tell me how you found out about these crystals. It's important to me."

"Oh, well all right dear. My, you're quite the rude one aren't you? So nosy. But you can get your way," Jennata said. Vivel was amazed at the speed of her voice. He could barely process all of the words she was saying.

"Anyways, as I was telling you, I'm from Kazham. You know, Kazham, the village at the mouth of the Yuhtunga Jungle on the Elshimo Island. Well, yeah. So, so, so, I heard stories growing up from some of the elder Mithra about a giant red crystal in Mount Yuhtunga. Well, it wasn't called Mount Yuhtunga always, it had a different name before, but it was changed for some reason. Ah, nevertheless, Tarutaru. It was said that the red crystal brought about the extreme heat experienced in our home."

She paused for a moment. Vivel was now beginning to piece the bigger picture together in his head. With the Ducal Guards, he had forgotten about Carbuncle and Summoning. But now, it seems fate had swept the issue over him yet again. Almost as if even though he went looking for the first crystal, the others seemed to come to him.

"Moving on, moving on," Jennata continued. "I wanted to find this red crystal, but none of us little Mithra were permitted to enter the big scary volcanic mountain. Well, there were also stories about there being crystals in other parts of the world, ya know? So that's when I began searching. I knew that I should search for concentrated areas of a specific weather. In the snowy region of Beaucedine, I found the light blue crystal. And in the sandy Altepa Desert, I found the brown one. And then, in the windy Cape Terrigan, I found a green crystal!"

"So you're a Summoner then!" Vivel shouted out enthusiastically.

"What?" Jennata asked. "Summoner? I'm a White Mage, I told you! Summoners aren't even around anymore. Don't you know? They're bad! They almost brought about bad things! That's why there is no Summoning anymore. What do crystals have to do with Summoning?"

"Well, there are guys inside of the crystals…" Vivel said dumbly. "And if you beat them they let you summon them. At least, that's what I do." He looked to his side, embarrassed for some reason.

"WHAT? You can't summon! It's not allowed! Liar!"

At that moment, Vivel noticed a Galka and a Hume running towards the Rabao entrance. Both of them were wearing a plain white top and brown trunks. Looking ahead, Vivel saw a furious Homsar and Groth surveying the area.

"Those friends of yours?" asked Jennata.

"No!" Vivel whispered. He froze in place, praying not to be seen by the Ducal Guards. The Galka and the Hume reached the Guards, and began questioning them. Vivel could not hear what was being said, but he soon saw both of the Rabao citizens turn around and run back where they came from, looking scared. Homsar now moved closer to Vivel, who immediately jumped behind Jennata and cowered.

"What the Hell, pervert. Don't touch me!" Jennata yelled to Vivel. Homsar looked over and saw the Tarutaru, and his frown suddenly turned to a murderous grin.

"Hey, Grothster!" Homsar shouted to his friend. "I found one of 'em hiding from us."

Groth quickly ran over towards Homsar, and the both of them advanced on Vivel, now exposed in the open.

"You!" growled Homsar. "Where is our crystal? And what 'bout Oopy? And that damn Paladin!"

"They... aren't here," Vivel choked out, almost in a whisper.

"Well you had better bring them here in the next ten seconds, kiddo," growled Groth. "Or those will be the last ten seconds of your life."

"Hey, he said he didn't know where those guys were," Jennata added. "So just get the Hell away from us."

"What, this your girlfriend protectin' ya?" Homsar asked. "I don't care about no girls, we'll kill ya both!"

Jennata stepped back. "Go get them then," she said to Vivel.

"What? You can't fight them?" Vivel asked frantically.

"Hah, no way. You got that sword, you must be a tough guy," she said. "Just take care of them."

Homsar grabbed at Vivel's chest, who quickly jumped out of the way. The giant Galka grinned, stained with blood from his fighting with Hamza and Oopy. He then lunged for Vivel again, this time grabbing his frail chest and lifting him in to the air.

"Hey Grothy, how far does ya think I can throw 'im?" Homsar asked, with Vivel wildly kicking around in his grasp.

"See if you can get him in that pond over there," said Groth calmly, pointing over at the mass of fishermen huddled around the Rabao Oasis.

"Too easy, watch this!" Homsar proclaimed, thrusting Vivel forward with relative ease. The Tarutaru sailed through the air flailing until he landed in water, creating a subtle splash.

"Damn, so he's weak then," said Jennata to the Ducal Guards.

Vivel rested at the bottom of the pond, his mind racing with thoughts.

Great, he thought to himself. Without Oopy and Senuke, I don't stand a chance against these guys. Maybe if I just stay here, they will leave and think I'm dead. But how long can I hold my breath? No, I have to fight…

Digging his feet in to the mucky ground, Vivel hoisted his body up in the shallow pond, his head floating over the surface of the water. He started wading towards the dry land and summoning Titan. He soon saw dozens of dazed Hume fishermen staring at him, some dropping their fishing poles in amazement. And then, he was standing in a dry gusty room in front of a large emerald-green crystal.

"What?" Vivel shouted in shock.

"What's that!" yelled Jennata, standing next to Vivel.

"What's what? Where am I?"

"That thing! That monster right there!" Jennata screamed, pointing her quivering finger at Vivel's avatar, standing ominously next to the Summoner.

"Oh… Titan," said Vivel, calming down. "I summoned him to fight Homsar and Groth. Where are they? Where are we?"

"Summoned? You're a Summoner then? Impossible! You, you, you're damn crazy! Put that thing away!"

Embarrassed, Vivel dismissed Titan and hung his head, feeling at fault for angering Jennata.

"Oh, yeah yeah. Those ugly dummies were gonna kill you, so I saved your ass by escaping. That's right! I teleported you and now we're safely at the green crystal. This is Cape Terrigan for sure!"

Finally understanding, Vivel relaxed. He was safe from his enemies finally, and there was no way that they would find him again.

"Oh, that's fine, no need to thank me! I only rescued you from certain death! Ha! Fine, if you're not gonna be grateful, then at least do me a favor. Tell me about your Summoning, right now! Every word!"

Speechless, Vivel stared at the ranting Mithra, feeling a swelling of gratitude, regret, shame, and anger all at once.

"Thanks for saving me," he said slowly.

"Too late for it now! I already told you! Now tell me about that big brown naked man that you called out!"

Taking a deep breath, Vivel again decided to spill his thoughts. In the back of his mind, he felt that being a Summoner was going to be treacherous to him, especially since everyone he spoke about it to seemed to view it in a negative light. Regardless, he informed Jennata on everything that had occurred from the Ballista match to his arrival in Rabao. She intently listened, occasionally interrupting him to say "No way in Hell!" or "Lying Bastard!"

"Well, then, it's decided," Jennata concluded after Vivel's story. "Get inside that damn crystal and win another monster!"

"What?" Vivel asked, suddenly realizing that he was in one of the six cloisters, and that there was a giant green protocrystal glistening in front of him. "Didn't you hear my story? I almost died fighting those battles."

"Yeah, yeah, we almost die every day. Get over it!" Jennata responded, walking behind Vivel and pushing him towards the crystal. "Now get in there and do your battle!"

She paused for a moment, and begun casting a spell. "Need a cure? Fine! I'm a White Mage!" She used a powerful cure spell on Vivel, healing his body back to full strength. She then shoved him in to the crystal. The Tarutaru flew forward and smacked his forehead on to a jagged edge of the green object. Blood began flowing from his wound.

"What the Hell!" an angry Jennata responded to the incident. She quickly Cured him again, and helped him to his feet. "You can get inside of these things, can't you? Huh?"

"Okay! Just please shut up about it!" Vivel yelled back, at a boiling point in his temper. Compared to her, Hamza seemed like a shy and reserved individual, he thought.

"Do it!" Jennata yelled back, unfazed by Vivel's emotions.

Vivel stared in to the protocrystal intently, finally taking in his responsibility. Just as he had done with the other two relics, he cleared his mind and began to search for the resonation in his heart. Sooner than before, it came. Jennata's muffled cries became softer and softer to him. He then entered the familiar crystal world.

This world, unlike the other two, was gusty and green. Other than the climate, the path to the top remained the same. Vivel clutched at his Great Katana, remembering the power boost Carbuncle had given to him.

"I wasn't ready before, but this time I can do it," he said to himself solely for reassurance.

"Mortal, amusement has finally arrived in the form of yourself," a voice echoed out in the wind. "Disturbing my slumber, a task that should bring your life's end. Or perhaps you aim to forge a pact with me."

"Yeah, that would be great," said Vivel. "The pact sounds good, can we make a deal or something?"

"Wager your life to forge the pact. In this lies my entertainment, Summoner," the voice whispered in response.

"Naturally," muttered Vivel. "I'm getting sick of helping out you guys and getting beat up in return." He found himself ascending the path, just as he had done before. His fear was replaced with irritation, as if this was a chore for him. With the wind at his back, he approached the summit, ready for whatever bizarre creature stood in his way.

In front of him, surrounded by an upheaval of gusts, was his glorious, green opponent. It had the shape of a bare woman's body with great wings decorated with lush green feathers expanding from its back. The avatar's face was shrouded by wild red and green feathers also, although not shielding its piercing deep red eyes. And the beast's limbs extended to deadly claws, each stretching further than half of Vivel's entire height. Finally, a full green tail of hair was sprouting from her head down to her long legs uniformly and beautifully tied together.

"I am Garuda, this shall be all you need to know of me," the avatar said finally.

"I'm Vivel," the Summoner responded generically. He had already begun summoning Titan, who soon joined him at his side. He quickly unsheathed his sword and held it in front of him. He surged with confidence, ready for a two-on-one duel.

"Numbers mean nothing, Summoner. Witness my Aerial Armor," Garuda coolly whispered. A small funnel of wind appeared underneath her and consumed her. Titan stayed at Vivel's side, waiting for his master to give the signal to attack. The giant earth avatar seemed weaker than normal in this windy terrain, but Vivel thought nothing of it.

At the clear of the dust, three Garudas stood in front of Vivel, each looking identical.

"Three of you? No way!" Vivel cried in anguish. Titan now advanced, sensing immediate danger for Vivel. The Summoner quickly surveyed his heart for Titan's possible abilities. He hastily made his decision.

"Megalith throw, now Titan! Take them out!" The mammoth avatar responded by driving his burly arms in to the ground and forcing a large chunk of land in to his hands. Bracing himself, he heaved the megalith at the Garuda trio. It directly struck the middle avatar, passing through its body and dissolving its appearance. Two Garuda copies remained.

"Good job, you killed one!" Vivel cheered. "This Garuda seems weak, let's clean up!" he announced. Running in, he sliced at the Garuda on the left, also ceasing her existence. He then turned on the remaining monster, driving forward with his Great Katana and slashing the final Garuda. This time, his blade was halted by the claw of the great avatar. With one arm, Garuda easily fended off Vivel's assault.

"Foolish mortal," Garuda mocked. "I merely made two shadow images of myself. You couldn't expect to win this easily, could you?"

Titan now threw his fist at the unguarded face of Garuda. With a swift lifting of her free arm, a spiral of wind appeared out of nowhere and drilled in to Titan's chest, rendering the earth fighter immobile.

"Enough of this! You're not that strong!" Vivel cried, slashing at Garuda three more times. Each strike was blocked by a limb of Garuda's. Titan now rejoined the battle, successfully landing a punch in Garuda's stomach. Seeing her stumble back, Vivel dove forward to strike.

"Tachi: Enpi!" He announced, delivering a quick twofold cut to Garuda's torso. Recovering quickly, Garuda flew in to the air, out of the reach of Titan and Vivel and soon out of sight.

"Damn it, we got a good hit in too," said Vivel, eager to continue his attack. By and large, he felt he was doing better than he had done before. Through his fighting in the desert, he and his avatars had gained more stamina and strength.

His thoughts were broken by a strong surge of air sweeping over him. He knew Garuda was preparing another attack. Sure enough, another gust struck at Titan, and this time the avatar fell, leaving Vivel to face Garuda alone.

"What's wrong Titan? Why are these wind moves hurting you so badly?" Vivel asked the empty space where his pet had just stood.

"Are you truly so oblivious?" asked Garuda's chilling voice. "An Earth-based creature is especially susceptible to my attacks." The avatar descended to Vivel's level.

"Dang it, and I was so sure I had it…" Vivel muttered, hanging his head.

"Never did you hold an advantage," Garuda replied, disgusted. "Now, I will make Haste of your demise." The wind avatar prepared another self-targeted ability, this time casting the Haste spell on itself. Now, Garuda had the ability to move at incredibly fast speeds. Dashing backwards, it disappeared from Vivel's eyesight. A silence ensued.

Vivel grew nervous and upset, unable to focus on Garuda's whereabouts. He held his sword blindly in front of him, frantically searching around. A flash soon answered his question, as he caught a glimpse of Garuda heading directly for him. Lacking the reaction speed to defend himself, Vivel was slashed in the face by Garuda's mighty left claw. And then the silence came again.

Vivel kneeled to the ground, clutching his sore cheek. Again Garuda attacked him, this time kicking the Tarutaru's back. Vivel hunched over, crying in pain.

"Not ready to face the consequence, Summoner?" the Garuda mocked, as she continued to strike at Vivel undetected. "Then why pursue this trial? Why wake me from my peaceful slumber?"

"This is bad, really bad.." Vivel choked out. "Even if I call Titan again, he's going to get hurt. And Garuda hasn't even used her Astral Flow ability yet… wait… I don't only have Titan. There's Shiva! Shiva should be at full power now that we returned her crystal. And ice has an advantage over aerial attacks. Finally, hope…"

Garuda now hovered over Vivel's body. "Before I take your life, answer me!" it demanded. "Why did you wake me!"

"I don't know!" Vivel cried back, struggling to his feet and summoning Titan. "But I made a promise and by the end of the day you're going to be helping me to fulfill it!"

"Bold words for one in a position such as yours," Garuda replied, again dashing backwards out of Vivel's sight. Titan now emerged at Vivel's side, still hurting from Garuda's attacks on him earlier.

"I need you to do one last attack for me," said Vivel to his avatar. "When Garuda comes at me again, use your Rock Buster from above. Then you can leave and rest some, I promise." Titan stared at Vivel, showing no signs of comprehending his master's orders. Vivel nevertheless crouched to his stomach, staring ahead. "She'll have to dip down to hit me," he said.

And then Garuda came as Vivel predicted, slashing at his face and cutting at it with three claws. Vivel felt the white-hot pain sweep over him followed by a vision of only blood.

But Titan acted on his masters commands, jumping above Garuda and slamming the full force of his body in to her. He drove the wind avatar to the ground, lodging her back claws in to the ground. Wildly, she slashed at Titan, defeating the avatar quickly once again.

However, Vivel's plan had worked. Garuda was stuck in the ground, unable to break free. She began wildly crying and struggling to free herself.

"N..Now," Vivel coughed. "Shiva…" Mustering his remaining strength, Vivel called forth Shiva at last. The elegant ice avatar appeared at her full power, floating above Vivel and staring in to the red eyes of Garuda. "Astral Flow! Diamond Dust as soon as you can!" Vivel cried, losing his balance and falling to the ground.

"No, scoundrel!" Garuda cried, preparing her own Astral Flow ability. Finally breaking free, she dove at Vivel and Shiva, pausing for a brief moment, capturing all sound. Vivel's breathing, the chill of the cloister, even the ringing in his head, ceased for a moment. And then it was all thrust upon Vivel. The Aerial Blast ripped at his skin, cutting his clothing and his face. He was sure that death was upon him, as Garuda's wild rage seemed unable to be stopped.

Shiva proved to have heard Vivel's command though, as a huge icy wall soon stopped the blast of air. A tidal wave of ice grew and crashed on an unsuspecting Garuda. The panicking avatar turned and dashed backwards. Unable to escape in time though, her body was clutched by the ice and consumed, trapping her in a cold crystal prison.

Vivel's unconscious body collapsed and he began sliding down the winding slope of the cloister, now lined with ice.

"Impressive," Garuda whispered in to Vivel's ear. "Your boasts were well-founded after all. So be it, you've decisively ended our conflict and therefore earned a part of me. May I be of aid whenever you need me."


	16. Resolve of a Samurai

Chapter 15- Resolve of a Samurai

Returning to Bastok was a strange feeling for Vivel. In some ways, he expected that everyone would still be waiting there for him without changing anything, as if their lives couldn't continue without his presence. But in another sense, he felt that nobody cared about his absence, and it was shameful of him even to return.

It had been almost a full year now since he first left republic soil. After his decisive battle with Garuda, Jennata brought him to Rabao to recover from his mortal wounds. Afterwards, the Rabao government placed him under arrest for enticing the Ducal Guards to invade their land. He was simply forced to stay in Rabao until the matter with Jeuno was resolved. Unable to learn about any of the happenings, he was eventually set free, told that The Ducal Guards pardoned Vivel for his actions.

Jennata had left Vivel prior to this though, traveling to Windurst to continue her study of the crystals. She told him that he was to contact her should he go searching for more avatars. But, his mind wasn't occupied with Carbuncle and the others at this time. He only wanted to see Ignatious.

And with that, he entered the dark mines he left Bastok from so long ago. He was dressed in a large clumsy tunic Jennata had bought for him. A Hume miner ran past him, and Vivel jumped back, expecting to be immediately recognized. The Hume ignored him and continued on. Sighing deeply, the young Tarutaru continued forward and towards the Markets district.

By and large, Bastok was the same as it had been before. There was many citizens roaming the dirty streets of the city, and a cloud of Humes huddled around the Markets District Auction House. Bowing his head to avoid recognition, Vivel advanced on his small home. He was both excited and scared to face Ignatious, but either way he wanted desperately to reunite with his guardian.

Opening the door slowly, Vivel crept inside of his house, and quickly found it to be empty. The lights were shut off, and Vivel couldn't bring himself to turn them on for some reason. Slowly shuffling to his locker, he saw his small selection of clothing remaining. He changed in to his field gear, the green worker's armor he wore during his mining sessions. It was apparent that the house had not been occupied for some time now. But where was Ignatious? Without him, Vivel wasn't even sure as to why he even returned to Bastok.

"He left," said a burly voice from the open door. Vivel immediately recognized it as the voice of Scarp, his Galkan friend.

"Scarp, is it really you?" Vivel asked hopefully. A familiar face filled him with enthusiasm.

The Galka entered Vivel's home and turned on the lights. He was wearing a harness set, with his greatsword strapped on his back. His aging hair stood out in spikes on the sides, looking like horns.

"Not long after you took off, Ignatious left for Norg to train," said Scarp calmly. "Without you here, he really had no place."

"Train?" asked Vivel, feeling a lump in his throat. He knew it was greedy to expect Ignatious to wait for all of this time, but he felt abandoned. "I guess that's how he is. He spent every second of his free time doing some sort of training…"

Scarp stared at Vivel, as if he held a deep secret that he could not express to the Tarutaru.

"Let's go outside," he said at last. "This place is too stuffy for a big guy like me." The Galka forced a weak smile, trying to cheer Vivel up.

Walking outside, Scarp led Vivel down the streets of the Markets as they spoke.

"So Vivel, how has the last year treated you?" Scarp asked intently. "An adventurer, not many like us left anymore you know."

Vivel told Scarp his story, omitting the parts relating to summoning and avatars. He didn't want to bring the bad publicity associated with forbidden magic. He told of his wandering the desert and escaping the Anticans in the Quicksand Caves. He explained his arrival at San d'Oria, and the desperate battle with the Gigas. And of the trip back to Altepa, and the Ducal Guards encounter.

Scarp listened politely, amazed at the ordeals the young Tarutaru had faced. Finally, he silently said, "Ignatious would be proud."

"I guess," Vivel responded. "But all the fighting, it's really not something I enjoy. I'm not like Ignatious…"

Scarp stopped at a house and knocked at the door. Moments later, a Hume with full blonde hair answered. He was wearing a vest and trunks, and looked oddly familiar to Vivel.

"Hey, Scarpy! Nice to see you man!" he shouted.

"What are you wearing?" asked Scarp disgustedly.

"Hey, this is the fashion, man. Casual look, the ladies love it. But eh, can't expect you to understand that, now can we?"

Scarp grunted, and the Hume turned to Vivel.

"Little man, you like the ladies eh?" he said.

"Uh... I guess," said Vivel shyly.

"Sure you do, I mean, if you don't well I guess that's okay…"

"No, it's not that!" said Vivel frantically, growing red hot with embarrassment.

"Enough of this, Stryder," said Scarp. Get out here; I need you to help me talk to Vivel about something."

Stryder… that name sounded very familiar to Vivel. As if thinking the same thing, Stryder pointed out, "Hey! You're that little dude I saved at the Ballista last year. Remember? My trusty sidewinder shot took out that big elf! Hey, you know there's a big one on one tournament coming up soon, instead of the normal match that they hold, and there's a Bastokan spot with my name on it!"

"Oh, that's good," said Vivel, as Stryder stepped out from his house and joined his two visitors.

"Look," said Scarp. "Vivel's Ignatious's kid, and I think it's time we told him… about Ignatious."

"What about him? He's a pansy!" said Stryder laughing. Strangely, Vivel wasn't offended by this comment. He could tell that Stryder didn't mean his words.

"Why did I even bother getting you?" Scarp asked angrily. He turned to Vivel. "You made a comment about Ignatious and fighting. I want you to know the truth about your guardian."

"Oh, I get it now," said Stryder. "Make sure you tell him about my awesome arrow blast. That Quadav was destroyed by me! The hero of Bastok!"

Ignoring him, Scarp continued. "I'm sure you remember the Quadav War. Approaching six years since it ended, so you were a little guy then."

"He's still a little guy," scoffed Stryder.

Annoyed, Scarp added, "Do you know why the war started, Vivel?"

"Yeah," said Vivel confidently. "Because the Beastmen wanted to kill us."

"Not exactly, although that's what the President and Azurion want you to think," said Scarp, sighing. "The war was initiated by the countless slaughtered Quadavs in the Palborough Mines north of here. Greedy miners with platinum in their eyes were destroying Quadav nests and mothers in order to fill their pockets with ore."

"It's not like those turtle freaks were friendly with us, though," Stryder interrupted with. "They started most of the fights in the mines."

"But," said an irritated Scarp, "they weren't invading our soil as we were to them. That is, until the Adamantking decided to declare war on us, and the Quadavs poured in from the hills of Gustaberg."

"So, the war was our fault?" asked Vivel, eager to take sides with the Galka.

"Not exactly," he responded, running his large fingers through his hair. "Both sides were guilty of bloodshed, and both sides wanted full control of Palborough. The conditions were prime for Quadav nesting and living, and the mines were filled with the ore that the goldsmiths loved so much."

There was a brief pause, in which Vivel tried to decide where this was going. He had seen a few Quadavs during the war. They were ugly creatures, standing the size of a Galka with beady black eyes and a sharp pointed snout. Most distinctive was the massive darksteel shell they carried on their backs, causing them to hunch over menacingly.

"So… what does this have to do with Ignatious?" asked Vivel.

"He loved the turtles," said Stryder, shooting an imaginary arrow in to the distance.

"At the height of the Quadav invasion, when their best remaining soldiers flooded Bastok, we were able to intercept a message that the Adamantking himself was going to relocate to the Waughroom Shrine in Palborough Mines from the Quadav stronghold in Beadeaux. This was to assume a more direct command over his dwindling forces. However, the Mines were to be largely unguarded at first, and we knew of a water route to the Shrine from our own Zeruhn Mines."

"This is where I come in," Stryder quickly added.

"Yeah," said Scarp. "Hoping to quickly end the war by removing the one giving the Quadavs their commands, Azurion planned a secret attack on the Adamantking in his shrine. He selected a three person party of Stryder, Ignatious, and myself. We were to invade the shrine, and demand that the Adamantking relinquish the Palborough Mines and take his army out of Gustaberg permanently. Ignatious and I were to make the negotiations, and Stryder was the sharpshooter standing by to kill the King should he become violent."

Vivel was in awe. Ignatious had never told him about this, in all of his stories about battling the Quadavs. He assumed the mission must have been a failure.

"Yeah, they heard of my legendary Eagle Eye Shot. Never misses its mark!" Stryder boasted.

"We took a small boat to the mines, and easily advanced on the shrine. We were then confronted by the Adamantking's two guards," Scarp said. And that's where Ignatious began to reveal his intentions…

(6 years ago, in the Palborough Mines)

"Stand down, Humes. What foolishness to confront us directly like this," said one of the Quadavs to the trio of men. The dark, cold mines echoed with the cry of the two Beastmen. Stryder, Ignatious, and Scarp stood before them. Ignatious and Scarp were dressed in heavy iron chainmail, while Stryder wore a light jerkin.

"We have business with the Adamantking," said an energized Scarp. "And we are to cut down anyone who tries to prevent us form this meeting." He pulled his large greatsword from it's sheathe, ready for an inevitable battle.

"Yeah," added Stryder. "And you don't want to be on the wrong side of my arrowhead, got it?"

The two Beastmen, decorated in fine mythril armor, prepared for the assault.

"Wait," said a desperate Ignatious, with his full brown hair and piercing blue eyes. "We mean you no harm, we simply want to bring peace and end this war."

"Peace? By raising your sword?" asked a Quadav in anger. "We won't have your tricks! Let's get them!"

Stryder raised his bow, aiming for the heart of the left Quadav.

"Don't hurt him!" demanded Ignatious. "They are merely defending their King."

"Whose side are you on?" asked Stryder, hesitating. Reluctantly, he shot his arrow between the two, creating a black fog. This was his potent Shadowbind technique, rooting the two Beastmen's legs to the ground.

"There, I didn't hurt 'em you big baby. Want me to kiss their asses next?" said Stryder, disgusted.

"Put them to sleep, please," said Ignatious to Scarp. Scowling, the Dark Knight obeyed, casting a spell on both enemies, lulling them in to a deep sleep. Ignatious strode forward immediately, towards the shrine. He was firm with his resolve to preserve everyone's life that day.

"Listen," he said to Scarp and Stryder, who were following close behind him on his trip up the winding path. "We need to make it very clear that we won't be attacking the King when we meet him. I'm confident we can reach a bloodless agreement."

"Pathetic," said a restless Stryder. He placed his hand over his green beret, flattening it over his head.

"I hate to agree with him," said Scarp, "but you underestimate the ill will these creatures have for Bastok. No matter how eloquently you speak to him, you can't change that."

"We'll try it my way," said Ignatious. "As savage as the Beastmen are, they know they are losing this war. We can reach an agreement. Stryder will still be standing by should the Quadav become aggressive."

"Think about this," said Scarp. "This will most likely determine the outcome of the war. Let's not make mistakes. We're here to get the job done, not to be heroes."

"But we are heroes!" said Stryder. "When they write the history books, it will say "and in a heroic display of courage and strength, Stryder defeated the Adamantking and ended the war," and maybe we'll even get statues of ourselves in Bastok and stuff!"

Ignatious grew silent, troubled by his position. He wasn't ignorant to the viewpoint of Scarp, but he still needed to try.

And at that, they reached the ominous lair of the Adamantking. The narrow hall expanded in to a large circular area, and the three Bastokans heard a deep scribbling noise. Ignatious's voice dropped to a faint raspy whisper.

"Stay here, Stryder. And do not fire your shot unless I give the signal, under any circumstances."

"Should it come to that," added Scarp faintly, "don't miss."

Stryder solemnly nodded, finally taking in the pressure of his situation. "You two be careful… I'm sure this bastard won't be happy to see you."

Ignatious smiled and walked ahead with Scarp. In the dim light they began to see their adversary. A large Quadav with steel plated armor and a dashing horned helmet, he was carving messages in to a darksteel sheet. Hearing his uninvited visitors, the Beastman sprang up and grabbed his massive doubled-sided doubled-bladed great axe.

"I smell the filth of Bastok. How dare you strike at me now!" the voice roared, moving surprisingly fast towards Scarp and Ignatious.

"We strike at nothing, only the conflict!" Ignatious yelled back, advancing on the Adamantking. "We wish to end the bloodshed of Human and Quadav alike, and need your help to do so." The Hume stood confidently and aloof, forcing the massive Adamantking to stop at the Samurai.

"Ah… Quadav vision may be poor but your words fail to deceive my eyes," said the gruff voice. "You claim to want peace, but your weapons suggest otherwise." He pointed at Scarp's sword and Ignatious's katana. He lifted his massive axe in to the air and swung it at Ignatious, halting it just before the Hume's face.

Stryder pulled out his bow, ready for Ignatious's signal. To his amazement, it didn't come.

The Samurai unsheathed his katana and to the shock of everyone, threw it to the ground.

"There," he yelled. "I have no intention of hurting you. Now hear me out!" The Adamantking stood trembling at this Hume's bravery.

"Y.. you cannot trick me, stubborn fool," the king said back.

"Surely you don't desire this war!" Ignatious continued. "We live for our own prosperity, not the downfall of others. The anger your kind feels is not avenged by inflicting the same act on us, it simply puts you in the wrong also! If you just lay your weapon down, we can work on a mutual understanding. I didn't come here to die; I have someone back home who needs me. For the sake of my blood and yours, I beg you to listen."

In shock, the Adamantking slowly obeyed Ignatious, oddly convinced at the sincerity of his words.

"First, you need to bring your forces out of Bastok," said Ignatious sternly. "Civilians are in peril, and your men truly have no chance against the Republican Army."

"And what of Palborough?" said the Adamantking, equally as stern. "Your miners will continue to slaughter our nests, will they not?"

"We won't disturb you," Ignatious promised. "We can set boundaries; there are ore-rich places that your kind doesn't inhabit. We can share the mines."

"This could actually work?" muttered Scarp. "I was sure that you wouldn't agree to peaceful terms. Azurion will be amazed if this works… we could turn around history completely.

The Adamantking looked at the two Bastokans, still contemplating his decision. He truly wanted to end the war, but something seemed wrong.

"Lord, don't listen to them! It is a trap!" shouted a Quadav. Out from the shadows came the two guards the Bastokans had immobilized before, holding Stryder by each arm. "This one was going to assassinate you!"

"No!" Ignatious cried. "He was standing by to protect us; he serves no purpose should peace come about!"

But now, the Adamantking had heard enough. "Bastok!" he roared. "Your trickery ends today! Never will a Quadav live without desire slaughter your kind!"

"No! Please, listen!" Ignatious said frantically, "Nobody needs to die!"

It was to no avail, as the two Quadav guards struck Stryder, and were consequently impaled and killed by Scarp's swift sword art. The enraged Adamantking soon fell to a barrage of Stryder's arrows and a decisive wound from Ignatious's katana.

Vivel was silent at this somber tale. His Ignatious wasn't a killer, but as peace loving and fair.

"From that day, Ignatious silently accepted that conflict was inevitable," Scarp concluded. "We returned to Bastok as heroes and helped murder the scattered Quadavs in our land."

"You make us look bad," Stryder said, "we just defended ourselves from those freaks."

"Now you know why he trains, it's to protect you," said Scarp.

Vivel wondered if Ignatious would have stopped the Ducal Guards from the battle. Maybe he could have saved Lewis from death. Seeing him in a different light, he gained a whole new respect for his teacher and guardian.

"I want to see him…" said Vivel faintly, feeling tears boil at his eyes.

"He'll be at the Ballista Tournament," said Stryder, smiling.

"I was going to watch it myself, you're welcome to join me Vivel," Scarp said kindly. "But it will be some time before it starts."

"Guess I'll wait then," Vivel said smiling.


	17. Road to the Duchy

Chapter 16- Road to the Duchy

The tournament was the talk of Bastok for the following days, with Humes already placing bets on the winner. Eight countries were invited, each of them able to produce two participants. Ignatious was already guaranteed a spot, and Stryder was getting the other one. San d'Oria, Windurst, and Jeuno were sending their best fighters as well. The mysterious eastern country of Al Zahbi was also participating, for the first time ever. And some smaller regions: The port town of Mhaura, the shady Tenshodo land of Norg, and Rabao, were sending their best fighters.

This was the first time that Ballista was being presented in this fashion. Instead of the large teams of before, these battles would be fought one-on-one, with only one winner. There was a gil prize as a reward, but it was clear to everybody that pride was the real trophy. The Grand Duchy of Jeuno was holding the tournament in its majestic Ru'Lude Gardens, high above the sea.

"Let's go, I want to get there early to check out all of my fans!" Stryder yelled to Vivel, who had been staying with him for the past days. He was dressed in his prized Green Beret and polished Hunter's Jerkin. "The airship leaves in an hour, man." Vivel had mixed feelings about attending the contest. He was overjoyed at a chance to see Ignatious as well as his other old comrades, but he also knew that the Ducal Guards probably wouldn't be excited to see him around. Regardless, due to relentless pressure from Stryder, he felt obligated to go.

Still wearing his mining garb, the young Tarutaru didn't have much to bring with him. His items had all been lost during his numerous battles, except for his blue blade, which was still resting at his side. Scarp would be joining them in their journey. Although the Galka had no desire to fight in the battles, he was still intent on seeing how they played out. Still, Vivel found it odd that he was making the trip, although a warm welcome indeed.

The Port Bastok airship dock was mobbed with drunken Humes, with a defeaning sound and even worse smell. Stryder happily jumped right in to the mass of them, and they converged on their representative in the tournament. Vivel's neck reddened as he backed away, feeling anxious in this large crowd. To his great relief, Scarp approached from behind. He was wearing humble armor, including a common Bastokan Harness, and battle worn trousers. A massive greatsword was strapped to his back.

"You don't have to go, you know. Ignatious will surely return to Bastok after the Tournament," Scarp said, staring away from Vivel. Vivel grunted, looking at his feet. He was used to being told where to go, and wasn't really sure if he could manage on his own terms. Vivel and Scarp stood together without a word for twenty more minutes watching Stryder boast and cheer and fondle the Hume women.

"Attention," a loud voice finally called out. "The airship bound for Jeuno has arrived. Please present your tickets at the Departure's Booth." With that, the mob raced forward and trickled towards the dock. Stryder motioned for Vivel and Scarp to follow him. As Vivel moved forward, he could make out the massive airship that the Bastokans were piling onto. This was a true Bastok model: large and generically detailed, but still powerful.

"That's 500 gil, sir," said the blonde female Hume at the counter to Stryder.

"Heh, you know I'm -in- the tournament, right babe?" he said, rubbing his shoulder with his hand. "I'm getting this trip all-expense paid."

"I'm sorry sir, the airship fee remains. 500 gil, please."

"Stop it, I didn't bring that much gil with me," Stryder replied, rolling his eyes. "Now be a good girl and let me on the ship."

"Enough, you moron," said Scarp, disgusted. "You actually didn't think you would have to pay?"

"Well don't you have any gil, you fat bastard? Pay for my ticket and let's get going!" Stryder yelled back.

"Only have 850 gil on me, and I wouldn't give any of it to you," Scarp snapped.

"Hey kid, where's your share. Got your mining ger on, you must have raked in some cash then?" Stryder asked to Vivel.

"I don't have any.. sorry," Vivel mumbled.

"You little leech, you expected me to finance our trip?"

"Never really thought of it..."

"Okay sir, there is a boat leaving for Jeuno now as well. Tickets are only 100 gil each. Would you like to purchase those instead?" asked the woman, growing impatient.

"I'm not riding in that floating pile of shit! Get me on the airship!"

"We'll take three tickets for the boat," said Scarp furiously, handing over 300 gil. Pulling Stryder's arm, the three departed to the docks to find a small wooden ship of questionable stability.

"She was a bitch anyways," moaned Stryder, being dragged on to the ship by Scarp, who presented all three tickets to the ship's captain, an old Hume barely able to stand up. Vivel followed closely behind, staring at the ground.

"Welcome.. gentlemen," said the man between coughs. "Agghhh, you came just in time. Departing now... we'll be."

Stryder flashed him a disapproving look and entered the creaky ship. There were only two other passengers stuffed into the small lobby, both lowly Humes with just the torn clothes on their backs. Even worse was their stench, which radiated around the room and made Vivel's eyes water.

"To Windurst!" said the captain immediately, ascending to the navigation room.

"We were told that this was a trip to Jeuno," said Scarp sternly.

"Oh... is it?" asked the man. "Hmmm... I thought that was on Watersday. Ah, okay then... Jeuno it is!"

Stryder sunk to the floor burying his face in hands, and everyone heard the roar of the airship taking off.

"Going to the tournament then?" Scarp asked to the two Humes, who were huddled together studying some papers.

"You bet," said one of the gruff voices. The boat slowly started moving, and Stryder immediately clutched his stomach as if he was already sick. Scarp scowled in response, while Vivel quickly looked over at the others.

"Hey kid, want to place a bet? We've got the most-to-least likely to win the tournament ranked here," said one of the Humes, handing Vivel a paper.

Stryder immediately sprung up. "I'm first, right?" he asked, completely serious.

Scarp laughed. "Dead last, I'd place my bet on that."

"13th," mumbled Vivel. "You're 13th out of 16 people."

"Bull shit!" Stryder yelled. "I could take out any of those losers in one shot!" Scarp laughed deeply again, walking over to browse the list with Vivel.

Scanning the list, Vivel recognized a lot of names. Ranked second was Homsar, and Groth was number four. Oopy was in at fifth place, and he spotted Ignatious in seventh. Dreanoc's name was listed as tenth, Senuke 11th and to his biggest surprise, Hamza was dead last.

Filled with joy for a moment, Vivel realized he would be meeting up with everyone again. His mood suddenly shifted back to anxious when it sunk in that he needed to confront those same people. He wondered what Hamza and Oopy had been doing for the past year, and of course how Ignatious was.

"So who's the big man ranked first, then?" Stryder scoffed, interrupting Vivel's reflection.

"Spacek," answered Scarp grimly. "He's more a devil than a man though."

"Spay...sek," Vivel muttered.

"No," Scarp said with surprising force. "Spah-chek. When I was younger I used to deliver parcels to Aht Urghan from time to time. I enjoyed watching the Ballista matches held there in the Collesium, but Spacek always won easily."

"Why should I care," Stryder said, rolling his eyes.

"Because he could be possible competition for you. And I honestly think he's going to completely murder every single entrant at the tournament."

"Even Ignatious?" Vivel asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Scarp replied. "Spacek is a Blue Mage, freakish fighters who use abilities learned from other creatures. You won't find many of them on the mainland, but in the Near East there's several. Spacek is especially notorious because he seems to be able to mimic any sort of ability just by watching it."

"Don't see how that makes him immune to an arrow in the freaking heart," Stryder said smugly.

"Of course not, you're obviously going to defeat everyone there," Scarp growled. "I'm going above deck. Vivel, get some rest. It's going to be a long trip."

Vivel set down the papers, and slumped down on the cold, damp wooden floor. His mind was still racing with thoughts on everyone. Slowly, he was able to drift off, but his dreams continued the sporadic feelings.

"Wake up!" Scarp demanded. Vivel sprung awake, and heard intense commotion going on above him. "We've been attacked by a swarm of undead pirates," Scarp stated calmly but fearfully. "There's probably more than twenty of them. Vivel, can you fight?"

"I.. well... I don't know. I'm not very good..." Vivel spat out, suddenly trembling. Fear began to flood his mind and all rational thought left him.

"Leave the baby down here," Stryder declared, reaching for his arrow quivers. "Let's go take care of it."

"Right, there's no room for uncertainty," Scarp said, nodding to Stryder. "Wait right here Vivel." He paused uneasily and added, "I don't know how strong they will be." He then turned and ran out of the room with Stryder close behind. Vivel was in awe of the two men, and at the same time hating himself for not helping.

The other Humes on board began to panic. "Let's go kid. We need to jump overboard," one said.

"What?" Vivel responded desperately. "Stryder and Scarp said they would beat them.

"We're gonna die down here," the other Hume said. "At least if we jump we can swim to shore. Come on!"

"I can't!" Vivel screamed back, embarassed of his high pitched yell.

The two men looked at each other, and then dashed out of the room, leaving Vivel by himself.

"Hey... wait guys! Don't go!!" His eyes burning with tears, Vivel heard thundering blows from above, and his mind was tortured by thoughts of his two companions being killed.

Suddenly, Stryder rushed back into the lobby in a wild panic. A deranged skeleton was following him, carrying a club in one hand and a wooden shield in the other. Seaweed was hung from several of his bones.

"Get it away!" he cried. "Make it stop following me!"

"What? Can't you do something!" Vivel yelled back, terrified by Stryder's fear.

Lamely and clumsily, Stryder shot an arrow that arched through the air and landed between a pair of the undead monster's ribs. Unphased, the creature advanced on Stryder, who ran and hid behind Vivel.

"Hey! Get away from me! It's gonna hurt me now too!" cried Vivel, trembling.

"Use your magic! I thought you were a Tarutaru!" Stryder yelled, clutching Vivel's limp shoulders.

Closing his eyes and looking away, Vivel used a quick Fire spell on the skeleton with a blast of flames erupting on its left leg. The fire spread to the wooden floor with surprising speed.

"You're gonna burn down the damn boat, idiot!" Stryder called out, collapsing to the ground. Reacting quickly, Vivel followed up with a blast of Waterga, dousing the flame and knocking the skeleton over. But it recovered immediately, lunging at Vivel and striking his head with the hard club.

Vivel staggered backwards, wincing with pain. He hadn't felt this in quite some time. The prospect of summoning flushed over him, but he was still hesitant to let more people know about his abilities. Slowly backing up, the skeleton let out a cackling growl and advanced on the Tarutaru.

Reaching the wall, Vivel closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. He forgot about his weapon, his magic, and his avatars. He simply gritted his teeth and prepared for an end to his fear. The end however, didn't come. He heard a screech from his attacker, and then the collapsing of bones to the floor.

Slowly opening his eyes, Vivel saw a pile of bones in front of him, with the skull of the pirate rolling off to the side. Stryder was standing up across the room with a Boomerang in hand, panting heavily.

"Thanks... I thought I was done for," Vivel said lightly.

"You are, kid," Stryder replied, and then fainted to the floor. Vivel kneeled, overcome by the all of the turbulent events. Booming cries were still occuring overhead. Vivel knew he needed to help Scarp, so he slowly exited the room, and with wobbling feet, ascended the stairs to look on the deck. He saw what looked like a dozen skeletons, all converged on a bloody Scarp. The two Humes from earlier were laying dead not far from him, a sight that almost made Vivel become sick.

"What's wrong with me," he said outloud. "I shouldn't be afraid of these guys. I have been in tougher battles than this! What's holding me back?" He stepped back and again clenched his teeth, reaching for his Katana but then choosing not to draw it. "I have to do this.. I can... do this."

He closed his eyes, remembering his battles with Lewis, The Gigas monsters, and the avatars. "I was brave then! What changed now? This fear never goes away!" He shook his head violently. "They're all counting on me again. It always comes down to me. What if I mess it up this time? Don't they get it! I can't always be the hero! I don't want to be!!!"

With that, Titan was already present, and Vivel sent him in the assault the horde of undead. The beastly avatar shook the old boat as it rushed in on the uninvited guests. Each skeleton quickly turned its attention towards the earthen avatar. Vivel was very accustomed to his summoning powers by now, as he had spent the past year training by moonlight in the sands of Altepa at Jennata's urging and his own boredom. He knew what his pets were capable of, and more importantly he knew how to embrace their potential.

"Throw up a stoneskin; use Earthen Ward," commanded Vivel, and Titan immdiately created a rocky outer shell around himself, causing the undead assault to be futile. "That won't last for long," commented Vivel, scanning the area. He was at a set of stairs leading below to the lobby, and to each of his sides were stairs leading to an upper level where one could enter the captain's quarters. "I don't know what's up there," Vivel said quickly, contemplating his battle plan. "I'll stick to the spots I know."

At that moment he remembered about Scarp, who was still laying in the battlefield. Running ahead, Vivel approached the fray, where Titan was being beaten by the ferocious pirates' clubs and scythes. In the midst of them, he saw a facedown Scarp, motionless.

"Hang on!" Vivel cried, running to the Galka's aid. He was astonished to see at least five defeated skeletons littered around the deck, all finished by Scarp's greatsword. "You're okay! I'll help you!" Vivel said, grabbing the Dark Knight's arm and attempting to drag him to safety. It was no use however, as the small Tarutaru couldn't budge his massive comrade.

Vivel tried again, clutching the tail this time. "Come... on!" Vivel whimpered, too weak to make any movement at all. Feeling a sudden chill, Vivel realized Titan was on his last legs. "No, we need more time!" He turned to his avatar, who was on the brink of demise. "Take them down in the lobby!" Vivel demanded, pointing to the stairs. "And be careful of Stryder. Go!"

Titan stood up instantly and began racing for Vivel's appointed destination. The pack of pirates pursued the avatar relentlessly, filing down the stairs with him. Vivel's heart was racing at a rapid pace as he took a final consideration of his options. And then, an idea popped in his head.

"Fine, don't move if you don't want to," Vivel said in an angry tone. "But that means you aren't moving anywhere." And with that, he focused his black magic and used a powerful Bind spell on Scarp, rooting his body to its resting place. "Hope that holds," muttered the Summoner, as he felt Titan's presence leave him.

"You're up Garuda!" Vivel shouted, as he called his wind avatar on to the boat with haste. After a few seconds of concentration, the Vivel's leafy green companion was at his side. "Get ready Garuda, Astral Flow!" declared Vivel, feeling the soothing charge of energy for the first time since his battle with Garuda herself. He had been too hesitant to use the ability unless it was strictly necessary.

As if on cue, the mob of skeletons bolted back up the stairs and advanced on Vivel right at this time. "Right over here!" Vivel taunted, racing to the front of the ship, stopping just before he would fall overboard. The bloodthirsty bunch of undead lunged forward, prepared to beat the Tarutaru into a pulp.

"Aerial Blast!" Vivel commanded, nodding to Garuda. The beautiful beast rose above Vivel, clutching his shoulders with her two lower talons to protect him from harm. She spread her great wings and thrust out her arms, absorbing all sound and motion for a split second. A brief phase of complete silence and calmness ensued, as Vivel braced himself for the attack.

As quickly as the calm came, it left. An immense blast of wind at speeds unfathomable when compared to any natural occurence appeared, sweeping every skeleton into the air. The confused band of attackers was helplessly thrashed around and ripped at by the unforgiving cyclone, which eventually dispersed them out of the boat and into the wide open sea.


	18. The Stage is Set

Chapter 17- The Stage is Set

Vivel's arrival at Jeuno was not the grand entrance he had expected for such a famed place. After Garuda cleaned the ship of its intruders, it continued moving as if no earlier disturbance had plagued it. Perhaps an even greater miracle was Scarp's condition. The Galka had rebounded from near death just minutes after the calm arrived, standing to his feet and shaking his ailments from a few of Stryder's potions. The clumsy ship docked in Port Jeuno, the nesting place of the Duchy's poorest.

"Thank you for coming, but weren't there more of you?" asked the wobbling captain of the boat as the three friends departed.

"The ship was attacked," said Scarp grimly. "The others didn't make it." Vivel's heart sunk as those words processed. He realized that Garuda had dumped the other men into the sea along with the skeletons.

"Oh, was it now?" the man asked, scratching his balding head. "When did this occur?"

"You didn't notice?!" Stryder yelled, his first words in hours. "We were almost freaking eaten alive, you old ass!"

"Well, how did you survive then, young chaps? Did you battle them off?"

"How did you not notice that..." Stryder repeated.

"I'm actually wondering what happened too," Scarp said, turning his eyes to Vivel. "Were you really able to fight them all off? That's amazing."

Vivel reddened fiercely. "I didn't," he said quickly.

"Then, what?" Scarp asked, staring intently at the ashamed Tarutaru.

"My... friend."

"Your friend?" asked Stryder. "What the Hell is this? Nobody knows what happened? Was it a dream?"

"My friend came and beat them for me, then went away."

"Who?" asked the old man, content with Vivel's explanation.

"Garuda... is the name."

"So your buddy just flew in and killed the bad guys and then flew away? Why do you have to hide the truth, ya big dummy?" asked Stryder. Scarp flashed Vivel a disapproving look.

"I shall name my ship the _Garuda_ then!" announced the man, turning around and hobbling away.

"Whatever, let's just go," Stryder said with a sigh. "I don't even know my way around this dump."

"It pains me to hear that about my country from such a high ranking fighter, Stryder," said a chilling feminine voice.

All three Bastokans turned to see an imposing figure draped in elegant red robes. His hair, uncharacteristic to his neat appearance, was unruly and curly. Slim spectacles decorated his thin eyes, which studied the newest arrivals to his country contently.

"That's Xari, the Archduke of Jeuno," Scarp said under his breath to Vivel. Vivel didn't hear him however, because standing behind the man were two familiar faces: Homsar and Groth. Their every feature was exactly as Vivel remembered, and they kept the exact figures that haunted his dreams almost every night. The pointed hats were absent, but intact were the disturbing white subligars.

"We've been expecting you," the girlish voice continued. "The registration and bracket forming will take place momentarily, and the tournament is due to start soon after."

"We literally just arrived, sir," said Scarp plainly.

"Yes, yes, but the time and place don't depend on you three, in fact it is quite the opposite. Now please, come this way to the entrant's lobby."

Homsar caught the sight of Vivel, and grinned widely. The young Tarutaru cringed and felt his heart rate rapidly increase. He assumed that they were going to approach and attack him, but the Ducal Guards merely turned and followed Xari out of the travel agency.

"Who am I fighting then?" called Stryder to the departing men.

"We don't know yet, child," replied Xari. "The brackets need to be drawn still." He then waved his hand, motioning for the others to follow him.

"We'll stay with you," Scarp said to Stryder. "I'm sure Vivel wants to see Ignatious, right?"

Vivel nodded, but was still completely on edge about his two former enemies. Why didn't they confront him, he wondered. Didn't they want him dead?

The three Bastokans hurried out to follow the briskly moving Archduke and his two bodyguards. Vivel could tell that this man was rather eccentric, as he never saw Bastok's President roaming the streets of the city. In fact, he didn't even know the President's name. Being an ignorant working child, he never understood or bothered with politics.

Port Jeuno was mobbed with travelers from everywhere imaginable walking chaotically in all directions.

"Keep up with them," Scarp instructed, nudging the slow-paced Vivel along. Stryder was already ahead, casually chatting with Xari.

"Hey, kid. Want some magic hi-ethers?" said a little being of Vivel's height. He was a beastman of the Goblin race. The impish creature had long thin ears and a sagging, wide snout.

"I don't have any gil, sorry," said Vivel, continuing on.

"You can give me that nice blue sword," the goblin replied, following Vivel as he walked along.

"Sorry, no thanks," said Vivel, growing uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's a fair trade. Don't be a greedy-gob!" the beastman yelled, grabbing the handle of Vivel's Katana.

In an instant, Scarp lifted the small merchant in to the air by its large head and stated "We're not interested." He then tossed it aside into a crowd of lowly Humes, which immediately started a commotion. Scarp and Vivel simply walked onwards.

"Thanks," said Vivel sincerely.

"There's a lot of trash in places like these, just ignore everyone and walk quickly."

While composed largely of Humes, Vivel saw glimpses of Elvaan, Mithra, Tarutaru, and the occasional Galka. The binding factor for all of these types seemed to be their low social status. As if reading Vivel's mind, Scarp noted "The higher the elevation in Jeuno, the higher the class. And we're at rock bottom."

The group reached a staircase that led to an elevator. "This will take us to the entrant's room up in Ru' Lude," explained Xari.

"Can we accompany Stryder?" asked Scarp politely. Xari frowned, furrowing his thin brow and surveying Vivel and Scarp.

"I suppose, but only because of the wonderful things I've heard about you, Vivel," he said. Homsar belched an obnoxious laugh, and Groth grinned as well.

Scarp looked at Vivel consolingly, remembering his unclear tale of meeting the Guards once before. Stryder yawned loudly in an attempt for attention.

"Right 'dis way," Groth continued, nodding to the Hume guarding the elevator entrance as he opened the sliding door. The group of six piled into the stuffy square-shaped room.

"You'll have to excuse us, this is generally reserved for myself and the Guards only," Xari explained. Vivel grabbed Scarp's leg in fear, as he was within a breath's distance of the oblivious Homsar. The ascent quickly began, and just as quickly it came to a halt. The door slid open.

They entered a brilliantly decorated room with appetizers and drinks on the abundant tables. There looked to be about two dozen mingling people. Vivel looked away, afraid to face the potential familiar sights. "Make yourselves at home," said Xari slyly. "The bracket should be up momentarily now that all of the fighters are here."

"I've got my eye on that mithkabob!" declared Stryder, racing forward. Xari, Homsar, and Groth advanced next, entering the crowd of entrants and acquaintances. Vivel stood awkwardly with Scarp, slowly walking ahead.

"So, uh, where do you think he is?" asked Vivel awkwardly.

"Around here somewhere," said Scarp, sighing.

Vivel was increasingly uneasy. At any moment he expected to be attacked by the Ducal Guards, seeing how they did try to kill him before. He couldn't understand why they were so lighthearted with him after their altercation one year ago.

Just then, Vivel's eye caught the back of a Tarutaru wearing a flashy purple armet and with a large white lance strapped to his back. He raced right to him to find out if it really was his old comrade.

"Umm... Hamza?" Vivel asked dumbly to the Tarutaru's back. Turning around, the Dragoon's eyes lit up. He was none other than Hamza, still dressed in his Brigandine armor.

"Vivel!" he shouted, flailing his arms in the air. "You're okay! You're here! How have you been?"

"Well, after I got to-" Vivel started

"Check out my new helmet!" Hamza interrupted, pointing to his head. "It's the Drachen Armet, a piece of super secret legendary Dragoony ultimate armor." The headgear was indeed impressive. It featured two sleek wings at each side resembling the ears of a wyvern.

"Cool," said a smiling Vivel. Hamza still had a remarkable way of making him comfortable in potentially dangerous situations.

"So isn't this tournament going to be awesome?" he asked. "I was so psyched that I got selected to fight in it, and I've been doing a ton of practicing. What brings you here anyways?"

"I came with my friends Scarp and Stryder from Bastok," Vivel responded. He couldn't dodge the subject any longer. "Have you seen Groth and Homsar yet?"

"Yeah," said Hamza. "Those dummies looked right at me and smiled. I sure don't want to face them in the first round or something. I still get chills thinking about how tough Homsar was."

"Well, maybe we'll be safe," said Vivel dumbly. "I really hope so..."

"Hey! Forget about them and try some of this sushi!" Hamza announced. "This squid sushi is so tasty, I think I've had about ten plates now!" He held out a wrapped piece of sushi to Vivel.

"I've never tasted it before," said Vivel. It certainly didn't look appetizing.

"It's too good to pass up, bro!" urged Hamza, shoving the raw fish into Vivel's reluctant mouth. "Chew and swallow! It's delectable!"

Vivel's immediate instinct was to gag, as both the texture of the sushi and its inky smell were unbearable. He prolonged the chewing, dreading actually swallowing such an unappealing food.

"Are you on cloud nine yet?" Hamza asked enthusiastically, shoving more sushi into his own mouth. Vivel forced his share down, feeling the creepy tingle all the way down his throat. His disgust was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"Hey kid, you missed a couple dinners."

Vivel spun around, he knew that voice. Standing in front of him was none other than Ignatious. His hair had grayed slightly, but was still full, combed over to the left. He now sported a goutee also, and was dressed in a white gi along with decorated red haidate. And of course, his long Great Katana was resting at his side.

It was really him. The man Vivel walked away from so long ago. Vivel was suddenly overcome by the realization that there were so many times that he was on the brink of never seeing Ignatious again. But there he was, just sanding there in front of him.

"Hey," Vivel said meekly, beginning to tremble.

"Glad to see you dressed for success," said Ignatious with a smirk, nodding towards Vivel's shabby mining tunica.

And with that, Vivel lost control. He dropped to the floor and began sobbing, burying his face in his hands. Realizing how much he loved Ignatious, he hated himself for leaving that day and being the cause of his ordeals. Hamza stood chewing with a bewildered look on his face.

"I'm sorry," said Vivel between wails. "I came back and you weren't home... did you forget about me? Did you think I died? What if you would have died somehow?" With tears flowing more rapidly, Vivel again collapsed into his palms.

Ignatious became uneasy. Of course he had worried about Vivel each day, which was part of the reason he left to train in Norg. Being in Bastok was too painful without his long time friend. But he couldn't upset him any further.

"We're both here now, Viv," he said warmly. "This is going to be a fun day, let's worry about everything else later." Vivel stopped crying and looked at at Ignatious through tear filled eyes. "Come here, tough guy," said Ignatious, crouching down and holding out his arms for an embrace. Vivel dove forward and buried his face in his friend's chest, accepting the hug eagerly. He immediately recognized Ignatious's scent, which brought serene comfort to him. The smell was neither good nor bad, but an indication of security.

"What a cute little reunion," chimed another familiar voice, but not a friendly one. An embarassed Vivel lunged away from Ignatious and turned to see Oopy and Senuke standing proudly. Oopy had his typical orange cyclas and hose on, while Senuke wore basic leather armor.

Ignatious rose, smiling at the two Elvaan. "Nice to see you both. Oopy, Senuke." Senuke smiled but it was clear that Oopy would do the talking.

"That wreck really is your kid then," he scoffed, motioning at Vivel. The Tarutaru quickly rubbed the tears from his eyes. "You know, I saw him fight a while ago. He's hesitant and cowardly."

"Shut up!" Hamza announced, moving forward. "I've already heard enough." Oopy took a moment to recognize the fighter under the purple helmet, but soon realized and smiled.

"So Ignatious," Oopy started. "Have you checked out the competition? There's quite a buzz over that Blue Mage, Spacek."

"Hey!" Hamza yelled. "I was talking to you!"

"Spacek seems dangerous," said Ignatious half-heartedly. "He has quite a few unique abilities."

"He's still made of flesh and blood, which will prove fatal should he fight me," Oopy said, turning. "Though, the same could be said for any of you weaklings. For your sake I hope you're far away from me on the bracket." He began striding into the larger crowd. Senuke nodded to Ignatious who returned a friendly smile, and then followed Oopy.

"That jerk! He's such a bully," Hamza complained.

Ignatious turned to Hamza, his smile dissolving. "No. A bully is one who provokes weaker opponents. It takes a fool to assault his superiors."

"Sick line!" Hamza said enthusiastically. "So you are a cool dude after all. I'm Hamza, Vivel's best buddy from Windurst. Want to try this sushi?"

Meanwhile, Stryder was across the room, searching for any wandering females. Xari approached the Bastokan, tapping him on the shoulder. "Excuse me sir, we need to start taking registrations. Can you please follow me so we can get your spot in the bracket?"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get it over with," Stryder said, following Xari out into the heart of the Ru'Lude Gardens. Exiting from the Residential Area, the two ascended to see an overhead view of the battle arena. It was a large square surface, surrounded on four sides with stands already filling with spectators.

"We spent a long time remodeling the gardens here to prepare for this event," explained Xari. "The embassies of Bastok, Windurst, and San d'Oria had to be compromised in size to allow for such construction." Stryder rolled his eyes, not at all concerned with Xari's story. The two turned away from the crowd and started into a large building, surrounded by guards at at the door.

"Any reason we're coming all the way over here?" Stryder asked, running his hand through his hair.

"Just please follow these men," said Xari. "You will be all set to battle in no time." He smiled as the guards forcefully escorted Stryder forward.

Back in the reception room, Groth approached Ignatious, who was now joined by Vivel, Hamza, and Scarp.

"Aye, Mr. Ignatious," Groth said. "It appears that your Bastokan partner, Stryder, has gone missing. We need to git the tournament going immediately however."

"Well what do you want us to do about it?" said Hamza defiantly, still feeling hatred towards this man. "Get those panties unbunched and go find him"

"He probably ran off with some woman," said Scarp, sighing. "I saw him chatting with a few earlier, that disgrace."

"Well," said Groth with fake sympathy, "at this point Stryder is inelligible to enter the contest. Rather than surrender 'is position, another Bastokan could take 'is place."

"How about it, Scarp," said Ignatious with a wide grin. "Haven't seen you fight in a while."

"No way," snarled the Galka. "I'm not here to entertain anyone."

Vivel slumped his shoulders, fearing the inevitable outcome. Surely enough, it came.

"That Taru is a resident of Bastok, eh?" asked Groth. "Hey kid, want the chance to fight in the tourney?"

"Uh... I don't know," Vivel stammered. In actuality he felt immeasurable dread sweep over him.

"Do it!" Hamza cheered. "Yeah yeah! Sign him up!"

Ignatious turned to Vivel, retaining his grin. The Tarutaru couldn't bear to disappoint his friends, so reluctantly said "I guess so."

"Awesome!" cried Hamza. "I can't wait to see how much stronger you've gotten in the past year!"

"I agree," said a beaming Ignatious. "You must have improved so much, I can tell."

"Yeah, uh, about that," said Vivel. "Heh, eh, I haven't exactly been working much with my sword lately."

"Splendid," said Groth, sounded almost too enthused. "Well come on mates, there's no time to waste."

"Attention all tournament entrants," called our Xari's voice at this time. "Please follow me to enter the ring where you will fill out your final application and the bracket will be posted. Guests are advised to find a good seat while the tournament get underway."

A large stone door lifted up to the right of everyone, which led to a visible sight of the arena. "All right then, Scarp," said Ignatious. "We'll meet up with you after. Go find Stryder and slap him for me."

Vivel began to boil with anger. Why did he let himself get trapped in this? Why couldn't he just say that he didn't want to fight? But furthermore, why didn't he want to fight? It was always fun to train with Ignatious, what was so different about this? His thoughts plagued his mind as they tended to.

Scarp nodded to Ignatious, and looked to Vivel. The two shared a quick smile, as Vivel knew Scarp understood. The moment ended with Hamza tugging Vivel's arm. "Let's go, Vivster!" he announced. We're getting this thing started!"

All 16 entrants emerged onto the arena, where they saw the massive amounts of spectators stand up and explode in cheering. Vivel felt some degree of excitement, even though he was still too nervous to enjoy himself. Hamza waved up at the people, beaming in his spotlight. A short Hume was standing by Vivel with moppy red hair. He looked friendly and even a little nervous. Vivel secretly hoped he would be able to fight this unknown competitor.

"Let's go see the freaks from Ali-baba land," said Hamza, motioning over to two figures. One was a Galka, dressed in frivolous red garments. A round black top hat rested on his head, and there was a small dormant device next to him, about Vivel's height.

The other appeared to be an Elvaan from the pointed ears, though his face was shrouded by a pale blue veil. His ornately gold and blue robes rested comfortably upon his relaxed body. A scimitar-type sword rested at his side.

Hamza and Vivel curiously approached the two outstandish figures. Upon seeing them, the men dressed in blue turned away, while the Galka's eyes lit up.

"Look at you two precious little bokobokos!" said the Galka with an unfitting deep voice. "Are you cuties in the tournament?"

"Uh, yeah," said Hamza uneasily.

"So adorable, maybe we'll meet in the ring. But don't worry, I'll be gentle."

Hamza squirmed, shifting his attention to the device at the Galka's side. "What's that robot for?" he inquired.

"That's Pez, my little automaton! And my name is Spezza."

"You're a Summoner?" Vivel blurted out rashly. "I mean, never mind."

"Summoner? Why, not at all," said Spezza. "I'm a Puppetmaster, and Pez is my little puppet. We're both excited because this is our first Ballista match ever!" Pez had stringy limbs and a solid triangular body. It's metal head was covered by a large red cap, similar to Spezza's. "He's resting now for our big match," he added.

"Leave," said a muffled stern voice. The strange Elvaan in blue had his shaking finger pointing accusingly at Vivel.

"You... reek of fear. I can bear it no longer."

"Oh Spacek, leave these darlings alone," said Spezza. The Elvaan snarled at his Galkan companion, obviously loathing his company.

"So that's Spacek," muttered Vivel. The feeble man hardly seemed formidable to him.

"Let's just go," whispered Hamza. "These guys are even more messed up than I imagined. I don't know which one is creepier." Spacek strolled away, clenching his shrouded face in pain. Vivel and Hamza then returned to Ignatious's side, ignoring the disturbing flirtatious comments of Spezza.

"They're announcing the bracket now," Ignatious said in an excited voice. "Vivel, this is really going to be fun. Fatal injuries are blocked by magic just like in that Ballista we did against San d'Oria. You'll be fine"

Xari's voice boomed out over the commotion. "Greetings and welcome to all. I sincerely hope you're enjoying your time today, at the Duchy of Jeuno's first annual Ballista Tournament!" Applause followed and quickly died out. "We have just finished randomly assembling the bracket which will feature 16 total fighters from all reaches of the land! Bastok, San d'Oria, Windurst, Norg, Rabao, Mhaura, Al Zahbi, and Jeuno are all being represented in this spirited battle for national pride. Using the finest White Mages the Duchy has to offer, ultimate protection will be placed upon our fighters. Pain will still be real, but any deathly blows will be averted and the match will come to a close. Also, if any fighter is left unable to do battle for an extended period of time or forfeits, the match will end. But I'm sure you're all dying to know the matchups! Well wait no longer!

Cheering exploded again, and Vivel soaked in just how many spectators there were. There had to be hundreds of all races and statuses. It finally sunk in that this really was a big deal, simply intensifying his uneasiness.

"This is a single elimination style tournament. Therefore, the first round will consist of eight matches, with four in the quarterfinals, two in the semifinals and one final battle," explained Xari, raising his voice higher. "In the first battle, the newcomer from Bastok, Vivel, will face off with Jeuno's very own Senior Ducal Guard and Beastmaster Groth!"

Vivel's heart stopped and then sunk. He heard the cackling laugh of Groth from somewhere close by, but he couldn't focus enough to care. Groth's pet tiger ripping through Titan and then pouncing on him was still fresh in the Tarutaru's mind.

"He shouldn't scare you," said Ignatious, sensing Vivel's fear. "Just from watching him I can tell he's a bit clumsy. If you get imtimidated though, you won't reach your potential."

Not much could curb Vivel's terror, but Ignatious's words helped. Never in Vivel's life had his guardian given him faulty advice.

"The next match will put the Wundurstian Dragoon Hamza against the Al Zahbi Puppetmaster Spezza!" Xari called out, prompting lighter applause than Groth had received. Spezza winked at Hamza with a wide smile, and Hamza sunk his head down.

"Just great," said Hamza. "That guy scares me like no Ducal Guard ever could."

"In the third battle, San d'Oria's prime Monk Oopy will do battle with Rabao's top Red Mage, Pose!"

Vivel saw Oopy begin to snicker, and the blonde Hume he decided must be Pose clenched his fists.

"The fourth in the first-round series puts Norg's Warrior Virsago against Jeuno's own Ducal Guard Homsar! After that, the premier Black Mage of Windurst, Dreanoc, will challenge Mhaura's own Black Mage, Mikey!"

Vivel suddenly remembered Dreanoc as the Tarutaru that fought alongside him and Shirokaze in the Ballista of the past year. He never really got to know Dreanoc very well, but still saw him as a friend. "Good luck, that should be an interesting fight," said Ignatious to none other than Dreanoc. The Black Mage was dressed in a large tanned hat drooping at the tip, with a tight coat and tonban. Dreanoc smiled and nodded at both Ignatious and Vivel.

"In our sixth contest, Al Zahbi's undefeated Blue Mage Spacek will enter the ring with San d'Oria's young Paladin Senuke! Match seven puts Norg's young Samurai Pent against Rabao's self-proclaimed master Thief, Sof! And our final match consists of Bastok's Samurai Ignatious versus the Dark Knight from Mhaura, Solarus! That will conclude the first round and the eight winners will move on to continue. So let's get Vivel vs. Groth underway as soon as possible and watch the sparks fly!"


	19. Monster Melee

Chapter 18- Monster Melee

Vivel ran his fingers over the handle of his Katana; it seemed unfamiliar to him. He literally hadn't used it since fighting Garuda. Groth stood several paces in front of him, snarling with confidence. The entire situation seemed ridiculous to Vivel. He clearly remembered their last scuffle and the painful result. He strained himself to recall Ignatious's pre-battle pep talk:

"You haven't changed at all, buddy. You always get very nervous whenever there's any pressure," said a smiling Ignatious. He said it so casually, as if it was just a fact of life and perfectly acceptable. As if Vivel chose to be fearful, and easily could overcome his fear if he felt like it.

"It's not a matter of winning," Vivel said, staring at his boots. "I know I'm going to lose, but I don't want to get hurt and look stupid."

"Hey," said Ignatious with a hint of anger. "The only way the outcome is determined before this fight starts is if you let it be. If you really don't have the will to fight, then just don't. It's not worth getting upset about... this should be fun."

Of course it wasn't that easy. Ignatious's eyes lit up when he realized that Vivel could fight in the tournament. He couldn't abandon him again. Not to mention the inevitable disappointment in Hamza and every other person who wanted to see the take part.

"Just tell me what I need to do to win if you think I can," said Vivel half-heartedly.

"Pretend you're sparring with me. You always are more aggressive when there's no pressure. And like I've always taught you, discover the line between aggression and rashness and be sure not to cross it."

Vivel smiled, remembering the countless times Ignatious told him that. He didn't even know what it meant, but assumed it was advising him to fight defensively. "All right, I'll try that," Vivel said nodding. He would simply play defense: parrying and blocking attacks. It sounded safe to him, despite the obvious doom lingering in the back of his mind.

The young Tarutaru advanced forward, accepting a pat on the back from Hamza. He wobbled up the staircase to enter the long tiled stage where fighting would take place. A robed White Mage coated Vivel in a protective spell that left him tingling for several moments. This apparently would transport his body out of the ring should a deathly blow occur.

"Doubt is such a detrimental plague," Ignatious said to himself.

"Daydreamin', mate?" Groth asked obnoxiously, snapping Vivel out of his trance.

"No... sorry," said Vivel, refusing to look his opponent in the eye.

"It appears that we can get our first match underway immediately!" cried Xari. Vivel found it strange that Jeuno's leader was also acting as the announcer and not watching in some great height. "Born in Windurst but raised in Bastok, we have the young Vivel! After the other entrant was unable to appear, Vivel bravely took on the responsibility for his nation. We're all very excited to see his abilities!"

The crowd began to clap lamely in various sections. Vivel finally looked up, soaking in the atmosphere. It hit him that all of these people were here to watch him. He figured that if he wasn't about to get beat up, he would feel pretty important.

"And you all know Groth I'm sure!" Xari yelled. It would impressive that he could get his high-pitched voice so loud. Cheering erupted at twenty times the magnitude of Vivel's applause. "As our longest serving Ducal Guard and highly experienced Beastmaster, Groth and his pets have loyally served Jeuno for twenty years!"

Groth raised his arm and waved to the crowd, whistling loudly and generating even more noise.

"The rules are as primal as 'kill or be killed," Xari announced. "But don't worry about serious injury, the spell you both received will protect your bodies from fatal blows, teleporting you to an infirmary at the time of a life threatening attack." Vivel laughed bitterly at the false comfort that this statement provided him.

"Let's begin then!" Xari concluded. "Try to keep it in the ring and good luck to you both!" Slowly, the applause diminished and Vivel was left to face Groth. He wanted desperately for there to be more announcements to stall the battle, but it seemed unlikely.

"Your move, little guy," sneered Groth, slowly walking towards the scared Tarutaru. His razor-sharp axe menacingly dangled at his side. Vivel reached for his katana and quickly unsheathed it, showing off its blue glow. The crowd reacted to this display.

The weapon felt heavier to Vivel than he remembered. He fumbled it around in his hands before getting a full grip on it. It was obvious that he really was out of practice.

"What's the matter?" Groth asked with fake concern. "Ya' don't seem ready to fight."

"Let's just do this," said Vivel. "Get it over with."

"Not if you don't feel up to it. Yeh look lost with that sword."

Vivel paused, staying completely on guard. This behavior was unusual, but welcome.

"Now look, mate. I know you have a special little trick to call yer monsters out and fight with 'em. And you know that I have my jug pets here at me side. So why not let our friends fight for us?" He grinned cunningly, lowering his head slightly to see Vivel better.

"What do you mean," said Vivel uneasily. He hadn't even considered summoning until now. It always seemed to create a commotion, and would likely cause chaos in this atmosphere.

"Three on three. My monsters against yers. Two of us dun even break a sweat."

Was it a trap? Vivel remembered hearing something about Summoning Magic being illegal. He wasn't eager to get arrested... but it actually seemed favorable to facing that axe.

"What if I get in trouble for.. you know," said Vivel sheepishly.

"Ha, of course not. Water under the bridge, mate. Just want a good fight... I'm the head Ducal Guard. You won't get in no trouble."

"Don't listen!" called out Oopy's unfriendly voice. Both Groth and Vivel turned to see the flustered Elvaan at the side of the ring. "He's tricking you... Groth is known for his powerful beasts, not that crude axe!"

"Why do you even care?" asked Vivel accusingly, who was ready to accept the offer.

"Because I want to see a fair fight," snarled Oopy. "Use your weapon and don't be a coward."

"Ah, shut up Oopy," Groth whined. "Stay out of it."

"How do I know you won't attack me?" Vivel asked Groth.

"Simple," said the Ducal Guard, swiftly tossing his axe away and out of the ring.

"All right," said Vivel sternly. "Let's go then." He clumsily tossed his Katana to his side. He was relieved to have the pressure be on his pets now. While he hadn't been training with his sword over the past year, he had been summoning almost every day.

"Pathetic," growled Oopy, storming away.

"What is Groth talking about?" asked Ignatious to Hamza.

"Uh, duh. Vivel's a Summoner." said the Dragoon casually.

"What!?" Ignatious asked. "How is that possible? That's what he's been off doing for the past year?"

"Watch and see," Hamza said enthusiastically. "It's pretty awesome."

"3 on 3 then," Groth confirmed. "Last pet and owner standing win."

"Right," Vivel responded. "You know, I'm a lot stronger than the last time we fought." Having his avatars as a safety net boosted his confidence immensely.

"Ah' course," Groth said grinning. He carelessly removed one of the small jugs from his waist, popping the top off with his thumb. Just as Vivel had remembered, Groth dumped the soupy contents and snapped his finger, tossing the empty jug aside.

A snarling behemoth of a monster appeared from nowhere as a result. It stood on all fours, still taller than an Elvaan and of even greater width and length. The beast had a leathery gray coat and two curled horns shielding the side of its head. Its snout was scrunched in, emitting a nasty grimace from the curved mouth. Finally, the drooping eye sockets of the beast were stained blood-red.

"This is Buffalo Broth... named him meh self," said Groth gleefully. There was a brief silence as the crowd gasped at the unfolding events. "Well, go ahead mate," sneered Groth. "Do your little magic so we can get this going."

"Okay," Vivel responded. Eager to call out his body guard, Vivel immediately began summoning. As the frequency of the summoning energy increased, the spectators fell into confusion and shouting. The increase in noise caused Vivel to stop, beginning to realize the ramifications of his public announcement that he was a Summoner.

"Ignore 'em, it's fine!" Groth urged. "They just are a li'l excited." Vivel still stood, looking around him. He wondered if they were angry at him. Groth became angered. "Unless you want to take on Broth by yerself!"

Needing no further persuasion, Vivel retried his summon, causing an even greater emission of noise from the crowd. Ignoring them this time, he succeeded in calling out Shiva, who calmly floated at Vivel's side.

"Unbelievable!" Ignatious choked out. "He really is a Summoner!"

"Wow, she's cute," gushed Hamza. "Sign me up for summoning lessons, heh."

"Hamza," Ignatious stated firmly. "Please explain this to me. I was under the impression that Summoners were no longer existent."

"Beats me," said the Tarutaru, raising his voice to drown out the other chaotic screams. "He could do it when I met him, of course I only saw the rock guy and the blue bunny. Hey, just enjoy it gramps. This looks pretty exciting."

"Gramps?" Ignatious asked. "Do I really look that old?"

"Eh, well with the hairstyle and ya know.."

"Never mind." Ignatious looked at Vivel, who now seemed completely different to him. He felt some guilt for being left out on this secret, and also worried for Vivel at the consequences. But he was most of all reminded of another Summoner he once knew...

Spacek emerged and moved closer to witness the phenomenon, completely entranced by the two monsters.

"The devil is here!" cried an outspoken person from the stands. "Destroy it!" Similar cries followed, with a few frantic people rushing to leave.

"End this!" called a furious Xari for everyone to hear. "I won't have this chaos at my tournament. End it now or you will all be asked to leave!" The ferocious and unlikely flair of Xari's voice hushed the crowd, bringing the attention back on the match.

"That's our cue then," said Groth thankfully. "Okay Broth, let loose!" The buffalo moaned loudly and shuffled towards Vivel and his pet.

"Take 'em down!" called Vivel, sending Shiva straight towards the beast. The avatar elegantly glided towards Broth, ready to take a command. "Use Double Slap." Shiva stopped within a few paces of the beast and prepared the attack. Almost instantly, she dove forward and sent a fiery slap on its nose, finishing up with a backhanded blow on the same target. With each hit came a chilling echo emitting from Shiva.

Broth closed its eyes and moaned, swaggering back and forth. Vivel clenched his fists and grinned. He could tell that his attack was completely effective much to his surprise. The angered buffalo drove forward in a head butt attempt, but Shiva was quick enough to propel herself out of harm's way by pushing off of the beast's flabby cheek. She then responded with a light kick to its head, causing another grunt from Groth's pet.

"Vivel seems to have the advantage here," said Senuke to Oopy. The two were watching the match in a secluded corner. Both pets exchanged several more blows, with Shiva evading almost all of the ones directed at her.

"There's a reason that Groth is an elite Jeunoan and that the Tarutaru is a working-class Bastokan," Oppy growled. "Groth wouldn't have done this unless he was absolutely sure that he could win."

"If Vivel unleashes anything like that ability he used against the Gigas, I'd have to think that he could be victorious," Senuke responded.

"That's a big 'if,' I still can't believe that what we saw that day was anything more than a grossly overblown fluke."

"All right, listen here Brothy!" Groth called out. "Use your Lowing on that princess, and let's be quick with it, eh?"

Broth responded by dancing its large body around, emitting a thick green fog that crept towards Shiva.

"Hey, don't touch that stuff!" called Vivel, but to no avail. Shiva quickly became wrapped in the cloud, and dropped to the stage on her knees. "What did that do?"

"She's just feeling a little sick now," Groth remarked. "What bad timing, eh."

"Just keep attacking it!" Vivel commanded. Shiva rose her head and advanced on Broth, but the beast drove its head into the avatar's frail body, sending her back with a frosty scream. Broth relentlessly charged at her again, connecting another deadly head butt. Shiva fell to her back from the blow and was slow to recover.

"Great! Now yeh can have a snack if you like." Groth said happily. "Go ahead, that leg looks tasty."

Groth's pet took the command and scooped Shiva's left leg in to its massive mouth. It then jerked its head up, leaving Shiva to helplessly dangle at its front.

"Go ahead, swallow the whole damn girl!" Groth called.

"No!" Vivel yelled back. "Shiva! Cover your leg with Frost Armor!"

At Vivel's request, Shiva sprung to life and moment later a sharp cackle was heard from inside of Broth's mouth. The beast roared in pain, releasing Shiva immediately. The avatar revealed that her entire leg had been covered with sharp spikes of ice.

"Now, use that leg for an Axe Kick!" Vivel commanded again, his chest pounding with anticipation.

The struggling Broth paid no attention as Shiva slowly rose above its head, lifting her ice-covered leg 180 degrees. The leg then came forcefully down squarely onto Broth's forehead. The sound of shattering ice rung throughout Ru'Lude Gardens, sending a shockwave of gasps through the audience.

There was no movement, aside from Shiva slowly retreating from her target. Seconds later, after what seemed like an eternity for both Vivel and Groth, Broth fell to the ground.

"Ah, bull shit!" yelled Groth, punching his own thigh in frustration. He regretfully snapped his fingers, causing his great beast to disappear.

"Yeah! You got it!" Hamza called out as loud as he could. "Awesome, keep it up bro!" There was scattered applause from the crowd, but for the most part it was silenced. Vivel was on a high however. This rush of adrenaline brought his security to a new level as well. He wasn't sure if he would be totally outclassed by Groth, but now with the momentum on his side, felt he might get through this.

"So I guess I need to beat two more then, huh," said a grinning Vivel with a hint of assurance.

"Don't get smug, little man," laughed Groth. "You forget yer playing with the big boys now." He plucked another jug from his waist. "This should give you more of a run for your money, eh." The jug dumped its contents and quickly formed into an even greater beast.

This enemy stood on four hooves with skinny but powerful legs that rose to a hanging white underbelly. The back was a striped orange color with a docile tail laying at the end. It had a neck taller than its legs that stretched up to hold a head of beady eyes and a long curved snout.

"Dhalmel Droth is 'is name," introduced Groth. "He is much stronger than Broth, and cost me more to create too, eh."

"If it's okay with you let's just skip the formalities," Vivel sneered. "Go get him, Shiva!"

Droth wobbled around on its unstable legs while Shiva made a beeline for the beast.

"Stop!" Vivel yelled as Shiva neared striking distance. "Use Blizzard on it!" Shiva halted and waved one of her arms gracefully through the air, pointing at the stumbling Dhalmel. At her command, ice particles materialized before Droth and began to bombard it. The monster took a vicious beating from the ability, roaring in agony as it stumbled backwards from the sheer force.

"All right, now you can get in there," called Vivel. Shiva wasted no time in advancing on the dazed Droth. She brought back her left hand, preparing for a solid slap to the face. The furious beast wasn't about to be hit again however, and forcefully swung its neck around counter-clockwise. Shiva struck thin air, and then was greeted by the slingshot motion of the Dhalmel's head, connecting with her torso and sending her flying off to the side. The airborne avatar approached Spacek in her uncontrolled flight, but the Blue Mage didn't feel the need to move.

"Hey, heads up buddy!" called Hamza, but his words were ignored. Shiva connected with Spacek and the two went crashing to the hard floor.

"Heh, he's the favorite to win this contest?" scoffed Oopy. "Should he fight me he won't survive a mistake like that."

Calmly, Spacek stood up, with the entire area focused on him. Ignoring the attention, he returned to his rink side perch, ready to intently watch the battle. The bewildered onlookers then turned their attention to Shiva.

Ignatious approached Spacek with Hamza tagging along. "Hey, are you alright? That was a pretty punishing hit you took," he said.

Spacek glared at Ignatious disapprovingly and annoyed. "I knew what was going to happen. I allowed it to. I… wanted to see what it felt like."

Hamza chuckled obnoxiously while the other two reset their eyes on the fight.

Droth roared victoriously and furiously, lifting its front hooves and stomping them down. Shiva however wasn't finished, and struggled to her feet, drawing a series of gasps from the crowd. In a flashy display, she rose into the air instantly, widening the gap between her arms and legs to keep balance.

Vivel breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Shiva had some fight left in her. "One more go, let's beat it this time!"

Without question Shiva dove towards Droth.

"Ah, boy, yeh can't be reckless in these affairs," Groth said, nodding at Droth to attack again. The avatar reached Droth ready for another slap attempt, just as the last time. The Dhalmel snapped its head back, ready for another counterstrike.

"Stop, now touch down behind it!" Vivel called out strictly. Shiva struggled to cease her prior momentum and drove further up in the air, gliding past the retracting head of Droth. She landed right below its swishing tail. "Okay, now use Double Slap on its back legs!"

Shiva sprung herself backwards under the beast's belly, swiftly slapping each hind leg as she passed it. The brittle limbs easily gave way to the attack, and Droth roared as it collapsed to the floor.

"Ah, get out of there Shiva!" called Vivel. His command was futile however, as the beast smothered Shiva in its massive weight, and then rolled over, frantically kicking its legs around to try and stand up.

That blow had drained Shiva of her last bit of energy, and the worn avatar dissolved into her ritualistic circle, temporarily appearing to return her to her world. Just after, Droth was able to propel itself up and emit another victory belch.

"Great job Shiva," whispered Vivel, grateful for his pet's performance.

"Okay pal," said Groth, happy with the brief victory. "Bring out yer next pet so we can continue."

Vivel had three choices, and he needed to pick the right one. "This Droth thing can definitely hit hard," he said to himself. "Carbuncle or Garuda might not last long if he connects on a few hits." He began his summoning again, trying to finish it quickly to avoid the fuss he caused the last time. The rocky body of Titan emerged in front of Vivel, wearing the same scary grimace as usual.

"Bulking up, eh?" mocked Groth. "Don't forget, I beat this guy before."

"Then you won't mind trying your luck again!" Vivel responded, wanting to keep the battle going before his insecurities caught up with him. "Rock Throw now, Titan!"

Titan drove his left arm through one of the tiles and grabbed a large chunk of the cemented material. With a stressed growl, he heaved the makeshift rock directly towards Droth.

The dhalmel's reaction was spot in. With a jerk of its head, it deflected the projectile away out towards the crowd of onlookers.

"Ah damn, they'd best move eh," said Groth half-heartedly. Immediately, a quick burst of lighting struck and exploded the object, having the remains harmlessly float towards the ground. All eyes turned towards Dreanoc, who had extended his little arms to cast the spell.

"Amazing," remarked Ignatious to Hamza. The reaction time for that was a split second, and his accuracy was flawless."

"Yeah no kidding," the Dragoon replied. "Dreanoc is the head honcho black mage over in Windurst."

Attention quickly shifted back to the battle, where Groth was preparing to launch an attack. "Hey! Drothy! Use your Berserk and then follow up with a Stomping!"

Droth's body began to redden and sizzle as it appeared to be in deep concentration. It then launched its best attempt at a howl and came stumbling towards Titan. Vivel didn't have time to think of a decent reaction. Once at Titan, Droth stood on its hind legs for a brief moment and the brought his front hooves crashing down onto Titan. The rocky avatar desperately flailed his arms into the air, grabbing each hoof with his burly hands.

"That's it, Titan! Fight back!" called Vivel. The obviously struggling Titan attempted to step forward and flip Droth onto its back. Groth's pet had the advantage however, and slowly forced its weight onto Titan. He crumbled to his knees, and his arms began to wobble. Finally, the avatar collapsed facedown to the ground with his hands crushed by the two hooves. Vivel winced at his avatars painful grunt.

"Excellent, mate!" Groth cheered. "Now end it with a head butt to the back of 'is skull." Droth obliged its master by slinging its head back just as it had before.

"No!" Vivel cried. "Quick, Titan. Use Earthen Ward!" Titan didn't budge but was quick enough to activate the ability. He was cloaked with the rock hard veil just as Droth's head connected with his own. Vivel too received the effects of the ability as he felt his body become reinforced courtesy of Titan.

Droth 's attack rung a horrible cracking sound throughout the battlefield, but it was the dhalmel who suffered the damages. It moaned in agony as it stumbled backwards, flinging its head around to regain composure.

Vivel jumped on the sudden opportunity to take control. Titan had brought himself to his feet, ready to launch an assault. "Use Geocrush, right on its soft belly!" Vivel commanded. Titan responded by glowing for a moment as if to gather energy for this powerful attack. He then slammed his arms to the ground, simultaneously forcing a large chunk of the arena to be thrust upwards under the stomach of Droth. The dhalmel winced at the harsh strike, rolling its eyes up towards the sky.

"Droth! Shake it off, partner!" cried Groth. The pet was finished however, and soon fell over onto its side sending a wave of a thud through the ring.

"Heh, wow," whispered Vivel to himself. "I didn't even know I could use that technique. It just came to me. But that sure did drain a lot of my magic, good thing I only need to beat one more." For the first time, he felt that he was going to win. It wasn't about just surviving anymore. Now, it was about taking Groth down, and it felt great. A regretful Groth snapped, prompting the departure of Droth.

"This is quite the battle," remarked Ignatious. "Viv's sure taken to this Summoning art, for better or worse."

"Yeah, you bet," Hamza said gladly. "Now the pressure's on beast boy."

"There is no contest," said Spacek in a stale tone. "Vivel does not know it, but he has far more power in his avatars than Groth's beasts."

"Suppose yeh weren't lying when you told me yeh improved," said an unhappy Groth. "Can't believe I actually need tah' break the bank to beat you."

"What do you mean?" inquired Vivel, who felt the authority to be questioning Groth now.

"The pet I'm gonna beat ya wit, only used it once before. I didn't create it myself, this one's an ancient relic. Me other jugs combined ain't a quarter of this baby's worth."

"Well I'm sorry that you're wasting your money," said Vivel sympathetically.

"Oh, you little witch," snarled Groth, plucking a golden jug from his backside. "I'm gonna show yah why I lead the Ducal Guards and yer jus' a peasant from Bastok." He dumped the contents. "Meet Amigo Sabotender."

A tiny queer looking creature emerged. Smaller than Vivel, Amigo resembled a desert cactus. It was a solid green color with an elliptical body. It was covered in sharp black needles and had two stubby legs and two other permanently curved limbs. Its oval mouth was wide open and it had two slim artificial looking black eyes. It tilted on one leg and began spinning itself around for fun.

"He's my amigo fer sure, kid," said Groth. "This thing's destruction is unheard of. In fact, I'd advise to all of yeh goons standing around the ring to back off, lest you want to be ejected earlier from the tournament due to injury. But don't worry," he bellowed to the crowd. "The attack will sizzle out before it can harm you."

The previously silent Xari quickly shuffled away from the battlefield, prompting others to follow. Only Ignatious, Spacek, Hamza, Oopy, and Senuke remained.

"I don't see what's so special about that thing," said Vivel, feeling the pressure rising on him. Seeing the panicky response worried him. "Well, I just won't give you the chance to show me what he's about. Here comes my Astral Flow ability!" Vivel closed his eyes and reached for the energy to use his ultimate ability quickly.

"What a weak minded fool," said an angry Oopy. "He's already fussing over this thing when only words have been exchanged."

"Still," added Senuke. "I've seen Titan use that ability before. I'd think it would erase all doubt as to who the victor of this match will be."

Vivel searched, but the energy was not there. He couldn't bring out Astral Flow as he had before. "Oh, shoot!" he said as realization sunk in. "I must have used it too recently from when I was on the boat. Darn it, I forgot about that."

Groth began a deep laugh. "You worm. Nothing can save you, keep yer excuses for the dressing room."

"Shut up!" Vivel yelled, angry at himself. "Go, Titan. Get that thing!" Titan rushed in towards Amigo, hurling a fist that the cactuar easily spun out of harm from. The next punch connected however, temporarily halting Amigo from its spinning. It stared at Titan, squeaked, and began its twirling again. Titan continued to beat on it with similar results until Groth finally decided to begin his attack.

"Okay, Amigo!" Groth announced. "Let's make it a show. Take down those idiots, use 1000 Needles!" Gasps ensued this announcement, as Groth's 1000 Needles technique was known to include significantly more than just a thousand needles. Upon hearing the command, Amigo stopped spinning and leapt into the air, turning bright yellow. Sensing certain danger, Titan turned and dashed over to Vivel in an attempt to protect him from harm.

"Vivel!" called Hamza in despair. "What's happening?"

"Hit the dirt!" Ignatious called, pulling Hamza to the ground with him. At the other end of the arena, Oopy and Senuke quickly ducked from harm as well. Spacek chose to remain standing.

With a piercing screech, Amigo released a relentless barrage of golden needles from its body in every direction except for Groth's placement. Titan had wrapped his arms around Vivel with his back to the assault, but soon roared with pain as the needles began to strike him. A terrified Vivel covered his eyes from the madness, as it sounded like thousands of bullets were being fired simultaneously.

After a shocking struggle, Titan lost all remaining strength and disappeared from the battlefield. Vivel now took the attack head on, as he felt himself being pelted by the white hot needles. Soon, the stoneskin ability that Titan had given to him wore off and he was able to experience the pain. The needles battered him backwards, as pain sunk in to every inch of his body. The feeling was far worse than anything ever imagined, and all Vivel could think of in the madness was how badly he wished he hadn't entered. Slowly, he felt his ability to stay conscious leave him.

And then it was over. The others had successfully evaded the attack, with the exception of Spacek, who was rubbing one of his cheeks in pain.

"You're crazy," Hamza said, astonished that the Blue Mage seemed unharmed. All eyes turned to Vivel, who was laying on his back and breathing heavily. The sound of the needles was still ringing through his head.

"Wow, that may 'ave been 2000 Needles, haha," said an amused Groth. "What a show, good job mate. Hey kid, yer lucky you had that stoneskin armor, or you'd surely be gone by now."

"It… hurts," said Vivel, with tears swelling in his eyes. The pain was gone, but his fear was still all too real.

"Hey, we ain't done buddy," said Groth. "Ye' still got one more in the bank."

Vivel contemplated just asking if he could give up. Obviously neither of his remaining avatars could withstand that kind of punishment. "How am I supposed to fight back?" he asked meekly.

"Well, that's yer problem," laughed Groth. "Let's get this over with. How does that sound, little man?"

"Vivel!" Ignatious called. "You don't have to do this. There's no shame in stepping down now."

"I started this thing, now I'm going to finish it!" yelled an angry Vivel. He turned back to Groth and Amigo, who had just began spinning again.

"Here goes!" said Vivel, clenching his fists. He had a plan.

For the third time, Vivel called out one of his avatars. This time, the little Carbuncle emerged, radiating with blue light and his glowing ruby-red forehead. The small creature walked over to Vivel, intently looking at his master in the eye.

"Ah, all out of good ones, eh?" laughed Groth. "No matter, I'll end yer misery now. Amigo! One more time, 1000 Needles to kingdom come!"

"Again?" cried Hamza. "This is crazy! Just end the stupid match!"

Amigo rose into the air again with its familiar glow. Carbuncle remained stationed with Vivel, ignorant of the impending doom. Spacek chose to kneel with the others this time, deciding against enduring another needle spray.

Vivel had nowhere to hide however, as the shriek came out from Amigo and the needles ensued. "Okay!" he cried to Carbuncle. "I know we didn't try this much but you gotta make it good! Use Reflecting Ruby!" Carbuncle intently responded, flashing his red forehead and creating a thin, transparent wall in front of his body.

Vivel flailed to the ground hugging Carbuncle's body for support. He heard the needles approach and winced, expecting the pain to flush over him.

But it didn't. There was instead a sound of the needles being fired again. Gathering the courage to look up, Vivel saw all of the needles being redirected off of Carbuncles barrier and in the other direction. A totally unsuspecting Groth and Amigo were the new targets, as the relentless assault being ejected from Amigo itself was washing over the two.

"Ahhhh! Stop! Stop shooting those things!" Groth cried. "You idiot!" Amigo squeaked in response, unable to control the flow of needles as he fueled Carbuncle's device. Groth collapsed to the ground, pounding his arms on his pet. "God dammit! It hurts so much! Make it stop!!!"

At that, Amigo and Groth disappeared from the arena and were teleported to the nearby infirmary. The battle was over. The immediate spectators slowly rose, while the amazed crowd regained their composure. Vivel was possibly the most amazed of them all, not fully aware that he had just won. "We… did it," he said slowly to Carbuncle, who had returned to staring into his eyes contently.

At that, the crowd tentatively began to clap, unsure if Vivel was acceptable to cheer for. The applause gradually increased, and a few stray screams caused an eruption. "We won!" cried Vivel, flinging his body onto Carbuncle's and tightly embracing his avatar.

He then felt himself being tackled from behind, as Hamza had jumped onto the arena to congratulate Vivel. "Awesome, bro! You owned him, that was great!" Hamza said ecstatically.

At that moment, the glory Vivel felt outweighed the hardships by far.


	20. Picturing The Past

Chapter 19- Picturing The Past

"Wow, I'm not sure if anything can follow that performance," said an amazed Xari, brushing the hair from his face. Silence followed, as Jeuno's leader struggled to find words. "Unfortunately we can't repair the damages to the ring until the end of the first round, as to keep things moving smoothly." He nodded towards the giant crater Titan had created.

"Guess I'm up next!" Hamza said, excited.

"We sure are, cutie," said the undeniable voice of Spezza. "I just finished polishing Pez, so we should be in tip-top shape!"

Ignatious stood off to the side with Vivel, speaking privately to him. "That was a pretty epic finish you had there," he said.

"I guess," said Vivel, unable to contain his smile. He was completely drained of his magic; it really did take everything he had to win.

"But this Summoning business, why didn't you mention it?"

"I was going to… but it seems like such a touchy subject," replied Vivel, feeling his burst of happiness deflate.

"You're definitely treading in dangerous water. I wouldn't flaunt that ability around the wrong people," said Ignatious distantly, as if he'd said it once before.

"I don't get why everyone gets so upset about it. I'm not hurting anybody or anything."

"Excuse me, I hate to interrupt your conversation," said a distinguished polite voice. It was Dreanoc's as the Black Mage revealed that he had been listening in. "It's very nice to see you both again. You might remember me as one of the Windurstian recruits during last years Bastok vs. San d'Oria Ballista exercise."

"Of course we remember, it's great to see you as well," said Ignatious respectfully. Vivel waved sheepishly.

"That being said, I am extremely interested in Vivel's ability to call avatars. If you don't mind Ignatious, I would like to have a private chat with him about the matter."

"Well I would mind," said Ignatious defensively. "This is not the time or place to put Vivel on trial, Mr. Dreanoc."

"On trial?" asked Vivel, feeling offended. "What did I do? They promised I wouldn't get in trouble."

"You aren't in trouble at all. Please Ignatious, I simply want to inquire so I can protect the boy," begged Dreanoc, removing his floppy hat to reveal his graying blue hair.

"It's up to him then. I suppose I can't stop you," said Ignatious sighing.

"I want to see Hamza fight though," Vivel chimed in.

"So be it then," said Dreanoc in a friendly tone.

Hamza was already on stage, grinning from ear to ear. The sun was glimmering on his bulky purple armet and his heavy lance.

Spezza was smiling devilishly at Hamza, with his dormant puppet resting at his side.

"Both entrants have never played in a recorded Ballista match, so this battle of the newcomers should prove exciting!" Xari called out, trying to gain some enthusiasm to curb the aftershock of Vivel's feat. "Hamza is a rare Dragoon from the Federation of Windurst, whose rapid progress recently has earned him a spot in the contest." Negligible applause followed the statement, which was drowned out by a few condescending bursts of laughter concerning Hamza's plight. The Tarutaru hung his head in shame.

Ah, come on, Hamza thought to himself. So what? Just because I can't call monsters out from Halloweentown or punch a hole in someone's face doesn't mean I don't deserve fans.

Spezza is a Puppetmaster originating from Al Zahbi," continued Xari. "He and his automaton Pez have formed a tight bond that should prove hard to dispel in battle." As he spoke, both Hamza and Spezza were covered in the protective white magic spell. Spezza gushed at the feel and advanced on Hamza immediately. "Oh wow!" he exclaimed. "That feels goooood, huh buddy? I'm really excited now!"

Hamza ignored him, continuing his thoughts:

And just who is this joker anyways? Is he making fun of me, or is he actually as weak as he seems. Maybe I'm ranked last for a reason.

He quickly glanced over towards Vivel, who was looking on enthusiastically.

Oh, man. Look at what Vivel did. He overcame his fears and put on that big show. He's supposed to look up to my example though. If I can't take out this trash then I don't even deserve to be in his company.

"Okay! Let's go!" cried a suddenly enraged Hamza. He withdrew his lance and comfortably spun it around once in his left hand before gripped firmly with both hands.

"Already, oh look at you. You're cute when you're angry. Wake up little Pezzie, it's time to-"

"Shut up!" Hamza yelled, leaping into the air to begin his signature jumping attack.

"Wow, it didn't take much to get him fired up," said Ignatious.

"Hamza's pretty unpredictable," laughed Vivel, trying to ignore Dreanoc's eerie presence.

"Well, that was a neat trick!" called out Spezza. "But come on back so I can see you again, cutie." Pez was now alert and buzzing around in circles, ready to respond to Spezza's command.

Fifteen long seconds passed, and Hamza was nowhere to be seen.

"What, did he take off?" laughed Spezza, rubbing his bulky arms together. "So do I win by default then?"

"Um… give it a little more time," said an unsure Xari.

Vivel searched the sky for a sign on his friend, as the rest of the spectators were doing. Hamza was definitely defter in his ability than the last time he had fought. Vivel then glanced at Dreanoc, who was staring blandly in front of him at nothing. For the first time, Vivel noticed a pain in Dreanoc's weary eyes. He seemed fragile and distraught, and Vivel wondered if that was how others perceived him.

"Now," said Ignatious calmly. Just after, a high pitched roar erupted for a split second as Hamza rocketed towards his opponent, guided by his weapon. Without any time to react, Spezza fell backwards dumbly to try and avoid the attack. However, Hamza ignored the Galka, and pierced his automaton's glassy head.

Pez was instantly destroyed, as the lance drove directly through its mechanical head. Hamza withdrew his weapon and landed safely on the arena floor, while Pez collapsed and began violently shaking, obviously unable to battle.

"What precision!" Ignatious remarked. Vivel was momentarily overjoyed at seeing his friend's attack be so successful.

"My Pezzy!" cried Spezza, rushing to his puppet's aid. "What have you done to him? You may be cute but you're going to pay for that!"

The enraged Galka stood up and awkwardly threw a punch at Hamza. The dragoon received the attack directly in his cheek, but it appeared to have no effect on him.

"Gee, I'm sorry," said Hamza finally. "I didn't mean to break it… I was just attacking."

Spezza wasn't listening though. He bent down to pick up Pez, lifting him by the feet. The automaton's head promptly fell off and hit the ground with a thud.

"Oh my!" shrieked Spezza queerly. He jumped up and down in a panic. Hamza scrambled to gather the destroyed head, eager to help and redeem himself. "I must leave!" cried Spezza. "To Al Zahbi where I can fix you up!"

"Then… umm… Hamza is the winner?" asked Xari in disbelief.

"Yes, fine!" shrieked Spezza at such a high tone it was almost impossible to make out what he was saying. "I need to fix Pezzie now though!" He darted towards the exit, leaping off of the arena with Hamza following close behind still holding the head.

"Spacek is expected to win this tournament," said Dreanoc lightly. "Al Zahbi felt no need to send another competitor, so they just chose whoever was willing. But Vivel, can I speak with you now that this battle is over?"

"Eh, fine," said Vivel, annoyed at Dreanoc's persistence. The Black Mage motioned for Vivel to follow him as he strolled towards a door. "These are the quarters I'm staying in. We will discuss our matter inside," Dreanoc said.

"Make it quick," said Ignatious with a frown.

The two Tarutaru entered into a single room with a bed and two chairs. "Not the most housewarming place, but it suffices my needs," said Dreanoc with a hint of laughter. He didn't sit down though, so Vivel felt obligated to stand as well.

"Let me as you something first," said Vivel. "I need to know this, and you seem as if you could tell me. Why is summoning such a bad thing?"

"I was planning on telling you that anyways," said Dreanoc. "Hopefully this can explain things some."

"I sure hope so," said Vivel semi-gratefully.

"Technically, Summoning Magic is illegal throughout Vana'diel, but the law is only enforced in Windurst."

"I figured that out," said Vivel. "But why is it illegal?"

"It's a long story… but I think I owe it to you to tell you. So please listen to its entirety, if you for you then for me."

Vivel wondered why Dreanoc felt that way, but wasn't about to interrupt.

"Summoning was not always banned; the law was brought into effect only fourteen years ago. You were alive then, but only a year or two old. But I want to go back a couple years before that. During that time, Summoning was a very popular art. Many Windurstians practiced it, traveling to the protocrystals and taking on the challenges. Adventuring was quite common back then."

He paused and stared at Vivel, who was intently listening. "So people like me weren't that rare?"

"Not at all," said Dreanoc. "But you know the power that those avatars give you. It's quite significant, and if used by the wrong people, it can be deadly. Before I get into that though, I want to quickly go over Windurst's legal system for you."

"Oh, I know," said Vivel. "The Star Sybil is the leader of Windurst, right?"

"Figuratively, yes," said Dreanoc. "But the real power lies within the Triumvirate: three individuals appointed by the Star Sybil herself to create and carry out laws. And back then, I was part of that system."

"You were in the Triumvirate?" asked Vivel, trying to sound impressed. "So you were basically the leader of Windurst?"

"One of them," said Dreanoc. "Along with the Tarutaru Riddick and Mithra Feiht. They were both close friends of mine, and I'd like to think that we ruled successfully at first."

"At first?"

"Yes, before the incident known throughout Windurst as the Rhinostery Rampage. That's where the Triumvirate and Summoning come together. You may already know this, but the Windurstian Rhinostery studies many different types of magic, including Summoning Magic. Well, the Rhinostery had several vials of a specific "dream incense." This item was supposed to call forth a powerful terrestrial avatar.

"Uh… terrestrial avatar?" Vivel asked.

"That's not important," said Dreanoc quickly. "What does matter is that a certain heretic Tarutaru named Virgil wanted to get his hands on the incense. He wasn't allowed, as the precious item was in short supply and only distributed to the most elite and trustworthy of Summoners. In desperation, Virgil launched an attack on the Rhinostery and completely destroyed it with his Astral Flow ability. Three researchers were killed in the attack, and he stole a vial of the dream incense."

"So that's why Summoning is banned? Because of one person?" Vivel asked.

"Not quite, but the assault on the Rhinostery set off the Summoner scare. Citizens were afraid that ordinary people could get such immense power and freely use it. Virgil was arrested and sentenced to death for his actions, but the dream incense was never recovered. In order to prevent a future attack, the remaining vials were destroyed. Outraged over Virgil's death, a few Summoners launched similar smaller-scale attacks on Rhinostery members. Most were jailed but some received the death penalty. This was a scary time to be in Windurst, as Summoner terrorist attacks were quickly becoming more and more common.

The burden then fell on Feiht, Riddick, and myself. The majority of Windurst citizens wanted us to ban the art of Summoning magic, but a wide majority of Summoners were peaceful people who had done nothing wrong. And then the problem of finding a way to effectively ban Summoning came up, which posed a problem."

"That's right," said Vivel. "How do you convince someone to stop Summoning and know that they will stick to their word?"

"You don't," said Dreanoc. "Which is why we needed to find a way to remove their ability to summon. A brilliant Rhinostery scientist by the name of Eizan developed a solution by constructing an extremely high powered tunic fork that became known as the Tuning Vacuum. This device could extract the Summoning magic from a person's body and release it harmlessly. Now that we had the means, Feiht proposed that we officially ban the use of Summoning Magic.

It wasn't easy though. Riddick himself was a Summoner, and was devoted to blocking the passage of the law. With Feiht for it and Riddick against it, the decision was left to me. I had to decide whether or not to make Summoning illegal. Riddick claimed that Feiht was biased against Tarutaru in her judgment, and so the tension between the Mithra and Tarutaru residing in Windurst rose."

"Must have been pretty tough, huh," said Vivel meekly.

"You have no idea," said Dreanoc sadly. "The pressure that I felt was nearly unbearable. And no matter what decision I made, more lives would be lost because of it."

"Right, I'm sorry," said Vivel. He felt ashamed for undermining Dreanoc's situation.

"I decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to support the law. All current Summoners were to voluntarily give up their powers to the Tuning Vacuum within the next month, or be jailed until agreeing to do so. Riddick was supposed to be the first one to give his powers up, so he could lead by example. The night beforehand though, he took his own life in protest…"

Vivel shuddered at the thought, realizing the pain that Dreanoc must have endured after hearing such news.

"Some Summoners agreed to the terms of the laws, but many strictly opposed it, and the attacks increased dramatically. To fill Riddick's place, the Star Sybil appointed a militant Black Mage by the name of Iori. He was fiercely anti-summoner, and along with Feiht who was disgusted at the crimes against her fellow Mithra, they enacted a series of laws that I could do nothing about. Summoners were hunted down using the Tuning Vacuum and killed decisively. The device eliminated virtually all summoners in hiding, as it resonated whenever it was near one of them. I made sure to stay away from the horrid device at all times… it had become a tool of death.

Many Summoners tried escaping Windurst while they could. Iori would have none of this though, and he chased them throughout Vana'diel with his army of Windurst's best Black Mages. I strongly opposed his methods, but was left powerless because Feiht supported him fully. Vivel… this next part may be difficult for you to hear, but I have to tell you."

Vivel's mind quickly raced with scary thought of himself being killed on the spot.

"Your parents were both proficient Summoners. They escaped with you to Bastok hoping to reside with friends of theirs. Both of them were kidnapped and killed by Windurstian officials one night, and it was reported that they died exploring the Quicksand Caves as a cover up. The story checked out too, because an avatar resides inside of those caves."

Vivel didn't know what to think. He didn't remember his parents at all, but still was enraged at what had happened. He had been the outcast in Bastok for his whole life because of it, and was robbed of the chance at knowing his parents on top of it. "So, this all happened because you decided to ban Summoning?" Vivel asked with anger in his voice.

Dreanoc looked at him with heavy eyes that appeared to be tearing. "Yes," he said softly. "I have to live with that pain everyday, and it just gets harder and harder to accept. I resigned from the Triumvirate soon after, unable to bear the guilt publicly."

"I don't feel bad for you," said Vivel. "It was your choice."

"I didn't ask you to," said Dreanoc. "I just want you to know"

"Then why haven't I been hunted down and killed too? Since I'm an evil Summoner, right?"

"You can thank Xari for that," said Dreanoc, lifting his head. "He is an advocate of the right to summon, and since he came to power he's been trying to convince Windurst to repeal the law of the land. Iori and Feiht won't budge though, and my position is still dormant."

"But the Ducal Guards attacked me before. Oopy, Hamza and me were involved in Summoning stuff so they tried killing us!"

"The guards are rather senseless at times, I don't have very much respect for them," said Dreanoc. "They were duly punished for that squabble, believe me. And just so you know it was well within the law to sentence you and your friends to death for the murder of Lewis, but Xari issued a pardon for all of you. Also, your entry in the tournament was not a mistake like you may have thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they wanted a Summoner in the tournament for several reasons. But first they needed to get you in, and that's where Stryder came in. He was kidnapped by the Guards and held hostage for a period of time. He's being paid a large sum of gil as we speak as a bribe to ensure that he doesn't talk about what happened."

"Ha, Stryder could sure use some money," said Vivel. "But are you sure he's okay?"

"He is fine. Anyways, Xari wanted you to be in the tournament so the world could watch and see a polite and peaceful young boy that is also a Summoner. The image of Summoners has been tainted by the politicians in Windurst and they are often labeled as delinquents, barbaric, and even murderers. Also, the plan was for Groth to defeat you in battle, proving that Summoners are limited in power and not above the law. As you know, that didn't work out," laughed Dreanoc.

"If you're trying to convince me not to Summon anymore, it's not going to work," said Vivel sternly. "Now I have a reason to keep going, if anything."

"Then just please be careful," said Dreanoc. "You are a good person, but you won't be viewed fairly by many people now because of your power. Now that you know the truth, I hope you can make your decisions conscientiously."

Vivel stared at Dreanoc, unsure of how to judge him. On one hand, he did reveal a lot of desired information that he didn't have to share. But also, he was indirectly responsible for most of the problems in Vivel's life.

"Just tell me one more thing," asked Vivel. "Why do you take part in Ballista anyways?"

"I don't like to hurt people," said Dreanoc. "But Ballista is an age-old way to honor your country. I love Windurst, despite what it has become in the last decade. And I'll keep doing what I can to better my country."

Vivel took another long look at Dreanoc. "Thank you," he finally said. "I'm not saying that I like what you did, but it was pretty cool of you to tell me all of that stuff."

"Thank you for listening, Vivel," said Dreanoc. "It makes this pain a little easier to bear knowing that you understand."

The two silently left the small room and re-entered the ground level of the tournament. Homsar could be seen happily jumping down from the ring to the sound of a cheering crowd. Dreanoc slipped away to go stand by himself, and Vivel raced over to see Hamza and Ignatious.

"How was it?" asked Ignatious.

"Eh, boring," said Vivel. "He just wanted to tell me about the Triumvirate system in Windurst, I don't know why he would think that I care."

"That's all he said?" asked Ignatious, convinced that Vivel was lying.

"Uh, yeah… of course," said Vivel.

"You know, those Triumvirate guys are jerks," said Hamza. "They don't like Summoners at all. They wouldn't even let me bring Duke to the tournament because they thought it would make me resemble a Summoner! Well, I guess it's a Biumvirate since there's only two left."

Ignatious chuckled at Hamza's naming.

"Anyways Vivs, you just missed the two most one sided battles in history. Oopy owned his opponent in two punches, and it only took Homsar one to knock out his guy. Then that Black Mage named Mikey started yelling about how everyone here was too strong and he took off!"

"Wow, I guess this tournament is pretty boring then, huh," said Vivel.

"Well your match was awesome! And guess what I just realized. Me and you are gonna fight in Round 2!"

Vivel hadn't thought about that. Hamza was definitely stronger, but the Dragoon didn't intimidate him for some reason. Vivel felt confident that his avatars could take care of things.

"Due to Mikey's forfeit, we will move on to the sixth match in this first round!" called out Xari. "That means that Al Zahbi's Spacek will face San d'Oria's Senuke!"

"Oh, all right!" called Hamza. "Go Senuke!"

"So, we finally get to see what all this hype is about," said Ignatious smiling.

Vivel looked over at Dreanoc, who was leaning against a corner with his hat tilted down. He paused for a moment, and then looked at Ignatious. "Yeah, should be good."


	21. Immortal Unveiled

Chapter 20- Immortal Unveiled

"Wow, check it out Viv," said Hamza, pointing over at the ring towards Senuke. The Elvaan was fully prepared for battle wearing the same set of armor that he had worn one year ago versus the Ducal Guards. "Sure brings back some memories."

"This will be the fight of the tournament," Ignatious said happily. "We finally get to see what all this fuss is about over Spacek."

Vivel realized how excited that Ignatious was. It was beginning to make sense to him after hearing the story from Stryder and Scarp. He had a great talent at combat but hated causing death. Ballista had to be the best of both worlds for him.

"Oh don't get too worked up, Iggy." It was Oopy. "Senuke should make quick work of that clown."

Ignatious turned to face his former student. He began to speak but was interrupted by Hamza.

"Yeah I have to agree with Oopy on this one! Senuke was able to fight off the Ducal Guards by himself when all of us got slaughtered. He's basically invincible. Heck, he is invincible! That's his master technique ya know."

"You fool," muttered Oopy. "The Senuke of a year ago is worlds weaker than the one today. Since then we've been through the most intense training sessions. Remember the Gigas monsters that we did battle with? Those enemies are simple fodder to us now after our training. We proved it by invading their land and killing at least five score of them."

Ignatious frowned, and was interrupted yet again my Hamza.

"I thought you didn't accept him being a paladin anyways. Why the change of heart, tough guy? Is it because he saved your behind?"

Oopy turned to Hamza with a flare in his eyes. "You are in no such position to comment, you little cretin. I know all about why you were even allowed to enter this tournament. Your pathetic race felt bad for you and wanted to promote job diversity among races. Your kind is weak, and that is a fact. At least Dreanoc and Vivel work around it by acting as mages. The idiots like you who are stuck in denial anger me to no end."

"I'll make you eat those words!" Hamza shouted back, reaching for his weapon. Oopy wasted no time though and lunged at Hamza, burying his fist into the Dragoons chest. Hamza flew backwards landing sharply on his back. The Elvaan grunted and turned to face the battlefield, while an injured Hamza struggled to his feet and advanced at Oopy.

He was stopped by the flat side of Ignatious's katana. Shocked, Hamza looked up at the Samurai. Ignatious shook his head. "It's not worth it," he said sternly. Hamza grunted and turned back.

Spacek stood in his usual aloof stance, turned away from Senuke with his eyes half closed. His ornate blue garb remained still, as if he was a mere mannequin.

"So, are we going to get started or what?" said an impatient Senuke.

Spacek stood unmoving for a few moments longer and finally turned to Senuke, revealing fully his chilling white eyes. "Are you... afraid to fight me?" he asked genuinely. "I cannot remember my last battle where my opponent was not frozen with fear."

"Ha, do you really think that will work on me?" asked Senuke. Although his face was shielded by his armet, his smirk was apparent. "I've worked too hard and have too much to prove."

"Well then, you are either incredibly strong or incredibly ignorant," Spacek said.

Senuke withdrew his Espadon sword from its sheath, preparing for the battle. Spacek immediately sprung to action upon seeing this, leaping into the air and curling his body into a ball-shape.

"Cannonball," muttered Spacek, as his body shot towards Senuke. The Paladin was taken by surprise, but reacted just in time, blocking the attack with his large shield. Spacek bounced off the San d'Orian crest labeled on the shield and deflected into the air. His body immediately straightened and came crashing back towards Senuke. He swiftly but barely dodged the attack by shifting to his left.

Spacek's body forcefully struck the tiled floor, cracking the surface. Unaffected, he rolled over and sprung feet-first upwards. Both of his feet planted firmly on Senuke's chest and sent him back with a jolt. Both fighters regained composure and squared off.

"You managed to avoid both Cannonball and Body Slam. Deft for a bulky Paladin indeed..." Spacek said, confused.

"I've done some training as a Monk," Senuke responded smugly. "Couple that with my armor and you will soon find that damaging me is no easy task."

Spacek nodded idly for a few seconds, and then swiftly swung at Senuke with his scimitar. The paladin countered handily with his shield, and followed through with a slash of his own sword. Spacek awkwardly twirled away to avoid the vertical strike. On the attack, Senuke swung again horizontally. This time Spacek responding by instantly dropping to the floor. Senuke was stunned by his apparent disappearance, and was therefore vulnerable to a head butt from the upward-diving Spacek. The hit was direct, but Spacek still recoiled off of Senuke's mighty armor.

"What rubbish," noted Oopy. "This Spacek has above average agility and that's about it."

"But the way he moves seems so queer," Hamza added in uneasily. "It must be hard to predict how to face him."

"Well, maybe you would have trouble against a ballerina, but the rest of us seem to be able to hold our own," scoffed Oopy in a disgusted tone. A bitter Hamza turned away, knowing the consequence of another physical altercation. Vivel was learning to genuinely hate Oopy. Aggressors like him always had the upper hand in life, and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.

In the meantime, Senuke and Spacek continued their swordplay. Spacek had the advantage in speed, but was unable to land a solid hit on the bulky Senuke. Finally, Spacek retreated by hopping backwards on all fours several times.

"What? You're done?" asked a smiling Senuke. He was confident in the way he was battling and had shaken off the fear of fighting the number one ranked combatant.

Spacek shrugged without responding, and slowly got to his feet. An awkward silence enveloped the fight.

"Senuke! Don't wait around for him to pull his tricks on you!" Oopy shouted. "Get this over with."

Obedient to his friend's advice, Senuke sprung to action, running towards Spacek with his sword extended. Stopping quickly, he used a Flash spell to blind Spacek's eyes temporarily. A brilliant light radiated through the arena, with the spectators all shielding themselves from the harmful sight. Ignatious and company couldn't see the action due to the light, but heard the sound of heavy footsteps and battle cries. Seconds later, all vision returned to normal and a panting Senuke was facing Spacek. The Blue Mage was in the same spot that he had been before the assault.

"You... managed to dodge my strikes," said Senuke between pants. "I must have swung ten times, and not a single hit connected."

"I have several senses, not all of which are necessary to defeat you," said Spacek. "Sight is one of them. I have other methods of knowing your moves. I have watched fighters just like you many times. Your stance is predictable." He then raised one hand to his face, clutching the dangling cloth. He pulled the blue fabric to cover his eyes, leaving his entire face under the thin veil. "Now... you have no need to waste your magical energies on that flash spell."

"No way!" Hamza stated. "Did you guys hear all of that? He really is going to fight blind?" Vivel felt his chest tighten. Something about Spacek scared him to no end.

"I wouldn't try to impress anyone," said an agitated Senuke. "You're shooting yourself in the foot here."

"Your concern for me is not well founded..." Spacek said, tossing his sword to his side and stepping backwards. "I don't need this toy right now, either."

"You're beginning to get on my nerves. I'm not holding back on you because of this ridiculous handicap!"

Spacek ignored Senuke's threat and clapped his hands together. He extended his thumbs to form a triangular view and aimed it at his opponent. "Being a Blue Mage," he said, "I have to ability to learn techniques that I intently observe. Being afflicted by these abilities increases my chances of a successful replication." He began to retract his thumbs repeatedly, and dipped his head towards the floor.

"So we're about to see Spacek's bag of tricks then," said Ignatious calmly. "This should be interesting. I wonder what technique he'll be showing us."

"I must admit I was surprised," continued Spacek. "The abilities that I witnessed in that first battle far surpassed what I would expect fighters of your caliber to deliver. That continuous needle attack in particular was incredibly potent. I was sure to closely examine the attack during the two times it was used."

"So that's why he allowed himself to be hit by the attack!" Oopy exclaimed. "He wanted to better his chances of learning it."

"That can't be," Vivel whispered to Hamza. "That attack was so strong; can he really have learned it just like that?"

"Who knows, bro," said Hamza halfheartedly. "This freak seems to think so though. But hey, Senuke! Don't just stand there and let him use it. Go get 'em!"

"No," Senuke responded loudly but calmly, apparently hearing Hamza's cry. "That's exactly what he wants me to do. I think I'll call his bluff and avoid doing anything rash."

"Good. This fight may prove to be productive after all," said Spacek in return. He quickly began to emit a high pitched screaming sound replicating Amigo's voice from Vivel's battle. Suddenly, like before, there was a flash of light.

"Hit the dirt!" Ignatious cried, lunging to the ground and pulling Vivel down with him. Vivel cowered and closed his eyes, but still felt the reality of the 1000 Needles attack. The little bullets made defined sounds as they hit surfaces. Despite this, the attack ended in roughly half the time as before. Though the noise ended, Vivel was in no hurry to get up. He remained on the ground, covering his head for dear life as the others rose.

"Man, he wasn't bluffing," complained Hamza. "I'm getting sick of that attack."

"Senuke took the full force of it," said Ignatious. "I'm not sure how he' going to rebound after that."

The Paladin was down on one knee in the same spot he had been before the needles fired. His entire body was crouched behind his large shield. He remained motionless for a time, while Spacek slouched lazily awaiting a reaction. The rest of the crowd held their breath anticipating Senuke's fate.

Finally, he began to stir. Slowly but not with weakness, the Elvaan rose to his feet, removing the shield from covering his face. He appeared unharmed.

"That was a cute little attack," Senuke said defiantly. "I don't know how Vivel had so much trouble with it. I didn't feel a thing." A gasp rang out among the spectators.

"You know," began Spacek while rolling his head to crack his neck, "in the time it took you to recover, I could have finished you. I simply wanted to judge the effects of my ability."

"Good try," scoffed Senuke. "Your parlor tricks can't penetrate this armor. You're just an overhyped fake." He held out his sword, pointing towards Senuke. "And I'm tired of waiting for you to impress me." He charged towards Spacek, who instantly reacted by beginning to cast a spell.

"Blastbomb!" Spacek announced as a fiery bomb materialized in front of him. He grabbed it with one hand and lobbed it towards the attacking Senuke. Senuke sidestepped the attack swiftly, and the bomb landed next to him creating a puff of smoke.

"You missed," he said blatantly.

"Senuke, look out!" cried Oopy. "That's an old Orc trick. The smoke will paralyze your legs and bind you in one spot!" Senuke reacted in horror but it was too late. His legs became immobile as the cloud sifted through them.

"Simple..." muttered Spacek, beginning his awkward hand signs. "Your armor is troublesome, but it's nothing I can't fix. Your other senses are still quite vulnerable."

"Go ahead!" yelled a frustrated Senuke, protecting himself with his shield. "This is just another cheap trick, it won't last for long."

The blinded Blue Mage chuckled. "You don't understand then." He stretched his arms out and began to wildly flail them. As he did this, a strange greenish haze began to emerge from his body. The cloud of gas slowly made its way towards Senuke, as Spacek continued thrashing to produce more of it.

"What now?!" Hamza cried. "This guy is a total nut!"

"Would you just shut up and watch? Your commentary is getting annoying," snarled Oopy.

"I recognize that," Ignatious slowly said as the group witnessed the cloud engulf Senuke. "It's Stinking Gas. An attack used by sludge-like creatures I once encountered in Garlaige Citadel."

"Stinking Gas?" Oopy asked. "Is its function as it implies?"

"Yes," said Ignatious. "It's an incredibly foul smell for anyone close by." He covered his nose. "I can already begin to smell it, Senuke must be in agony."

"Gross!" cried Hamza, running the other way. The powerful smell had made its way around the general vicinity. Vivel buried his nose in Ignatious's pants.

Senuke began to cough, which developed into a gag. "You cursed... bastard," he sputtered, and dropped to his knees, writhing in discomfort. "Gonna be... sick."

"The smell has made its way into that heavy and sweaty armor of yours. You can't expect to fight with it on," said Spacek firmly.

Senuke rose to hit feet, holding in his breath. The smell was too powerful, and he collapsed again. Furiously, he ripped his armet off of his head and threw it aside. He then lifted his plated armor above his head and tossed it as well, revealing a simple blue doublet. The smell was still horrible though, and Senuke stumbled in dizziness.

Spacek wasted no time in taking advantage, and dove towards Senuke, head butting his unprotected chest and stunning the dazed Paladin. Senuke coughed out a glob of blood that spattered across Spacek's backside. The Blue Mage continued his relentless attack, summoning a giant bludgeon that swung mightily at Senuke's head. Senuke managed a defense with quick work of his shield, but Spacek was too fast in his follow up. He imitated Shiva's double slap, smacking Senuke's unguarded head twice. With the bludgeon gone, Senuke launched a futile sword swipe which Spacek dodged by leaping in the air. He finished with a carbon copy of Shiva's axe kick, crushing his heel on Senuke' skull. The San d'Orian's head snapped forward and propelled him to the floor face first.

Vivel and the others looked on in horror as Senuke was brutalized by this strange opponent. Senuke struggled to his feet, his face a bloody mess from the collision with the ground. He had dropped his sword, but seemed unaware of his situation as he wobbled back and forth. Spacek ignored him and walked over to fetch his own sword.

"His fighting style is so incomprehensible," stammered Oopy. "At one moment he seems detatched and disinterested, and then he is the most concentrated and controlled fighter seconds later."

"That's what I said," mumbled Hamza.

"Argh, shake it off," Senuke said. "I have to pull out all of the stops before this gets too ugly. Here goes, Invincible!" The replica swords clashed in front of Senuke and the golden glow showered over him.

"That's what I'm talking about!" shouted Hamza. "Go get him, Sen!"

"Interesting ability," Spacek said. "Unfortunately I know all about it." He quickly made a circle with his hands and bounced on his toes. "I'll wait this one out."

I only have about thirty seconds of invincibility, Senuke said to himself. So this needs to count. He picked his sword up and ran towards Spacek, but the Blue Mage was already covering himself in a strange sticky substance. Senuke slashed at him with his sword, but the blade only bounced off of Spacek's unorthodox shield. It grew in size as Senuke swiped his sword a few more times to no avail.

"That looks like a crawler cocoon," observed Hamza. The ones around Windurst use that ability all of the time."

"So he's going to hide and wait out the Invincible timer," Ignatious observed.

"Damn you! Fight me!" cried Senuke, with hit after hit rendered ineffective against Spacek. Finally, the effects of Invincible wore off. Senuke screamed in frustration.

Realizing this, a hole appeared at the top of the large cocoon and Spacek jumped out of it, readying another ability. "Ice Break!" he called out, summoning large spikes of ice from the floor beneath Senuke's feet. They pierced his legs and pain seared throughout his body. Still hurt from the other attacks, Senuke again dropped his sword, unable to find the strength to fight.

Spacek landed and began to awkwardly strum his fingers, preparing for a strong attack. "This is a signature finishing move of mine," he announced, holding his curved sword above his head facing the sky. "Screwdriver."

"Enough!" Dreanoc shouted from his isolated corner. "Senuke clearly can't defend himself. Why use your most damaging attack? You're only adding unnecessary pain."

Spacek stopped and looked and turned to face Dreanoc, confused. "I don't appreciate being taken lightly," he explained calmly. "You should take note of my power, as I'll be facing you next." He proceeded to continue his casting.

Ignatious held his hand over Vivel's eyes. "This could get ugly," he said solemnly. Oopy gritted his teeth as he observed.

Spacek propelled himself into the air and began to rapidly spin in circles. Guided by his raised sword, he shot towards the stumbling Senuke. He connected with the Paladin's chest, spinning around violently and spattering blood everywhere as he sliced around his body. The attack ended with Spacek landing on all fours and scurrying backwards to observe his damage.

Senuke was panting fiercely with nasty gashes across his chest. Blood was smeared all over his body from the attack. About to faint from the pain and injury, Senuke pulled it together long enough to cast his most powerful Cure spell over himself. He was enveloped in a white light as his wounds were quickly closed and repaired. The blood and scars remained however.

"There you go, Sen," whispered Oopy.

"I keep giving you too much time to recover," laughed Spacek. "Why bother? I'm only going to use the technique again."

Senuke coughed in response, building the strength to say a few words. "In my training as a Paladin, I still have a long way to go. Still, I reached a plateau that few muster in their lifetimes." He paused to breathe heavily.

I still have one more resort, he thought to himself. This will use the last of my magic and leave me unable to heal myself if he attacks me again. Still, it's my only chance of actually hurting him. I have to take it. I'll start casting it while I talk so he won't notice and interrupt me.

"I don't understand you," said Spacek. "Have I still not demonstrated my superiority?"

"Your attitude is so feeble," said Senuke in disgust. "If you can't recognize your own weaknesses, they're all the easier to exploit." His hands were shaking as he cast his ultimate spell. Spacek shrugged and prepared for another Screwdriver.

"Holy," whispered Senuke, and forced his hands forward, creating an immediate darkening of his surroundings. All of the light near the arena faded, as if night was quickly approaching. Spacek stopped his attack to observe the phenomenon.

"So Sen finally learned it," Oopy said.

Small beads of light began to pop up high above Spacek. They quickly swirled around and came crashing down in a bee-line for the Blue Mage. They combined in to one larger light with a comet-like shape.

"What amazing power," Spacek mumbled. Senuke intently watched, impressed with his ability. He had never formally attacked anyone with Holy before.

Spacek quickly reacted though, to Senuke's horror. He held one finger out and traced a slanted rectangle in front of him. It immediately materialized into a rainbow-colored glass wall.

"That's Carbuncle's Reflecting Ruby!" cried Vivel.

"He must have learned it from watching your fight," said Ignatious. "I don't think Senuke can react in time."

"When it rains, it pours my friend!" declared Spacek. The beam of light crashed into Spacek's wall and redirected itself to aim at Senuke. Demoralized, he dropped to one knee and hung his head. A laughing Spacek dismissed his reflector and prepared for the end of the fight.

At the last minute, Senuke jerked into action, anticipating the attack with his shield. The great light crashed directly into Senuke's last line of defense, sending him sliding backwards on his knees. Groaning, Senuke dug his toes into the hard floor, using the friction and well as his own strength to slow the attack down.

"Impossible!" said Spacek. "How can he have the strength to endure such force?"

Senuke's moan grew to a roar as he punched forward with his shield, redirecting the attack back at Spacek. It burst forward too quickly for Spacek to react, and the full force of the light struck him, shaking his body like a rag doll. Spacek let out a blood curling scream as he was ripped at from the inside out and tormented by the attack.

"It's not yet enough," Senuke observed. His shield had been completely destroyed, with the arm strap being the only remnant. He desperately scooped his sword up and charged at Spacek, holding it in two hands. Spacek was too immobilized by the attack to defend, and with one fell swoop, Senuke severed and detached the Blue Mage's entire right arm. Spacek rung his head back as another painful shriek escaped his mouth. He stumbled back, with blood squirting from where his limb should be connected.

"Try doing you damn hand signs without a hand!" Senuke cried as he toppled over, barely able to hold his own weight.

"Wow!" Hamza exclaimed. "He took his arm right off! Are you even allowed to do that?"

"He did what he needed to in order to win," determined Oopy.

Spacek continued his screams, walking back and forth wildly.

"Shouldn't you be transported to the nearest facility now?" asked Senuke. He felt a sting of regret for what he had done.

Hearing those words, Spacek stopped. "I asked if you were very strong or very ignorant at the beginning of our battle. It seems you are both." A strange bubbling began to occur at his right shoulder, and it dripped down in large amounts. Suddenly, a lame flab of skin sprouted out, quickly replaced by another and then another.

"Regeneration!" Ignatious exclaimed. "It's an ability that leeches use."

"This is crazy," Vivel whispered, terrified of Spacek's unlimited bag of tricks.

"That's just not fair!" yelled Hamza. "Is this guy for real?"

As Senuke helplessly watched, Spacek's arm fully recovered, stretching out to look even healthier than before. He held his hand above his face and wiggled his fingers to ensure that they functioned.

"Now, do you see why I warned you to fear me?" Spacek asked. "Your fate was determined from the moment your name and mine were picked alongside each other." He walked towards a shivering Senuke. "I hope you understand that now."

"Impossible..." Senuke whispered to himself. "I gave it everything I had and more. And he's still at one hundred percent." Spacek grabbed the defeated Elvaan's head and forced it up to match his.

"Now, Senuke, look in to my eyes and accept what has been given to you." He slid the cloth down from his face to reveal his chilling empty eyes once again. "This technique will make you realize the terror that I instill on all I face. Jettatura."

Senuke was unable to look away, and Spacek's eyes flashed violently, resonating throughout Senuke's body and leaving him in a heap on the floor.

"He can't fight anymore," said Spacek to a cowering Xari as he calmly walked towards the edge of the ring and hopped off.

Senuke laid with a blank stare on his face, shivering in terror. Eventually he was teleported away, and the match was over.


	22. Please Read!

Hey everyone. Believe it or not, I still plan on continuing this story. It's strange to think that it first formulated in my mind when I still hadn't stepped foot into High School, and I am now finishing up my second year of college. As such, I know that now I could do a much better job, I think the best way would be to just rebuild the story from the ground up. There's a lot of changes that I think I should make and my writing style is, in my opinion, vastly improved from when I was 14. Should anyone be interested, please submit a review so I'll be sure to post my revised tale on this site. Thanks!


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